The greatest player in Dallas Mavericks history is closing in on an introduction speech at the Basketball Hall of Fame later this year.
Dirk Nowitzki reportedly will be named to the Class of 2023 on Saturday, April 1, at the men's Final Four in Houston.
It will come in Nowitzki's first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, following a 21-year career in Dallas that was headlined by the Mavericks' 2011 NBA Finals victory over the Miami Heat.
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Nowitzki, the 2007 NBA MVP, sits sixth on the league's all-time scoring list.
Nowitzki was named a finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in February, and he will reportedly go in with Heat legend Dwayne Wade, who he faced in the 2006 and 2011 NBA Finals.
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Nowitzki, 44, also clashed with three other rumored Class of 2023 inductees --- San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, and former Lakers great Pau Gasol -- throughout his career.
WNBA star and Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon will be joining Nowitzki, Wade, Parker, Popovich, and Gasol in the Class of 2023.
The Class of 2023 will be enshrined Saturday, Aug. 12, in Springfield, Mass.
