NBA icon Nowitzki cheering for Oilers' Draisaitl in Stanley Cup Final

NBA Hall-of-Famer Dirk Nowitzki seems to have jumped on the Edmonton Oilers bandwagon ahead of the Stanley Cup Final.

Nowitzki, who played all 21 of his NBA seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, was rooting for the Dallas Stars to beat the Oilers in the Western Conference Final (WCF). He even attended Game 2 of the WCF at the American Airlines Center.

Dirk Nowitzki and Travis Kelce are in the building for Game 2 between the Oilers and the Stars!

via @NHL_On_TNT pic.twitter.com/UIuFeme0M5

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 26, 2024

With the Stars eliminated, however, Nowitzki has chosen to root for a fellow countryman: Leon Draisaitl.

Both were born and raised in Germany, with Nowitzki from Würzburg and Draisaitl from Cologne. During yesterday’s media availability, the Oilers forward revealed that Nowitzki had sent him some words of encouragement, which he seemed quite excited about.

“Wayne [Gretzky] reached out,” Draisaitl said when asked about other athletes who have wished him good luck. “I got a message from Dirk Nowitzki, which was really nice. I think he was cheering for the Stars, but he’s still rooting for me a little bit, too.”

Dirk Nowitzki reached out to Leon Draisaitl showing him support before the Stanley Cup Final.

“I think he was cheering to the Stars, but he’s still rooting for me a little bit, too.” 🇩🇪

(via @EdmontonOilers) pic.twitter.com/0alRXmJKsH

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 7, 2024

As relaxed as Draisaitl appeared when speaking about getting a message from Nowitzki, it had to have meant a lot at the time. The 45-year-old is the best German basketball player of all time and is widely considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. He played in 14 All-Star games throughout his career and helped lead the Mavericks to a championship in 2011.

Draisaitl hopes to lead his Oilers to a championship soon, though there is plenty of work to be done before that can happen. Game 1 between the Oilers and Florida Panthers will get underway tonight, with puck drop set for 6 pm MT.

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