Real Sacrifice: Dirk Nowitzki Takes Major Pay Cut, Teaches Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony on How to be Unselfish

Dirk Nowitzki has signed a relatively cheap $25 million three-year contract to stay with the Dallas Mavericks proving that even superstars can take a major pay cut to help their teams’ salary situation and help build a contending team.

The move is widely hailed in the NBA circles as the 36-year-old German made the real sacrifice as opposed to the likes of 35-year-old Kobe Bryant and 30-year-old Carmelo Anthony, both of whom re-signed with their current teams for considerably larger deals.

The deal was initially reported by Marc Stein of ESPN:

ESPN sources say Dirk Nowitzki has taken bigger pay cut than previously thought. Deal finalized today at three years, $25 mil for Mavs lifer

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 15, 2014

To compare, Nowitzki’s total salary is almost equal to the individual annual salary of Bryant and Anthony.

Bryant is set to be paid $23.5M in 2014-2015 and $25M the following season for a $48.5M contract over the next two years by the Los Angeles Lakers while Anthony recently signed a $123M for 5 years— or roughly $24.6M/year—with the New York Knicks.

Nowitzki meanwhile will be paid $8M a year—not even the highest in his team as Tyson Chandler ($14.8M) and Chandler Parsons ($14.7M) will earn more next year.

Curiously, Dirk also rejected advances by Kobe’s Lakers and the Houston Rockets in this offseason. Both teams reportedly offered the maximum or near maximum salary (valued at roughly $20M) but the German big man chose loyalty and a chance to win the NBA title over money.

It needs to be mentioned that Anthony also signed a lesser deal than originally thought; rather than the $129M max-- he took $6M less. Anthony's "sacrifice" now looks laughable after the Dirk deal in Dallas.

With the move, the Mavericks’ salary situation will be more flexible this year and the next seasons.

Thanks to Nowitzki’s sacrifice and pay cut, the Mavericks will be one of the contenders in the Western Conference unlike the Lakers and Knicks which will be mired in mediocrity as long as the toxic deals of Bryant and Anthony are still with their respective teams.