CHICAGO - This is how hard it is to honor a person by renaming a street after him or her in the city of Dallas.
The rules mandate for a wait of "at least two years after someone's death to name a street after that person. Another alternative is to get three quarters of the council to vote for the application," according to The Dallas Morning News.
Dirk Nowitzki, 41 years young and still very much alive, didn't have to die to receive such honor. And the city council, known for its resistance to change street names, showed nothing but loving acceptance and voted in favor of the proposal via a 15-0 landslide.
And just like that, a short stretch of Olive street, between North Field street and Victory Avenue by the American Airlines Center has a new name.
Dirk Nowitzki Way.
"Now every time we drive on Nowitzki Way we all will get a big smile thinking about the amazing Dirk memories we have," Mark Cuban told The Dallas Morning News via email.

What a well-deserved honor indeed for inarguably the best player to ever put on a Dallas Mavericks uniform.
The 7-foot, 245-pound German played all 21 of his NBA seasons with the Mavs, averaging 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per in 1,522 regular season games. A 14-time All-Star, he joined the exclusive 50-40-90 club in 2007, a distinction given to players who finish the regular season shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from long distance and 90 percent from the free throw line.
Nowitzki reached the pinnacle of his career by winning an NBA title in 2011, leading Dallas' to a 4-2 romp over LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the Finals. Nowitzki was also voted league MVP that same year.
But the toll of 51,368 minutes eventually wore down The Big German.
Quietly, without the fanfare of a Farewell Tour or the circus of jersey swaps, Nowitzki formally announced his retirement during the Mavericks' final home game of the 2018-19 season last April.
Traveling the world, exploring other cultures, is one of the things Dirk looks forward to doing upon retirement, he told me during a brief interview at the United Center last February. He likes going to Dubai, and when his freer schedule permits, he might just wind up in our shores anytime soon.

FIBA WOES. Just days before training camp opens, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that Kyle Kuzma will be out indefinitely due to a "stress reaction in his foot."
The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward sustained the injury while working out with Team USA this past summer.
The 24-year old Kuzma was one of the bright spots during the Laker's tempestuous 2018-19 season. The 27th pick of the 2017 NBA draft out of Utah appeared in 70 games and averaged 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per.
Kuzma's foot mishap is exactly why NBA owners are reticent to lending their cogs to international events, including the FIBA, where the NBA's insurance doesn't cover players' injuries.
Luckily for Kuzma, the injury doesn't appear to be career-threatening. Otherwise, it would have been a real shame because he is still on his rookie contract, one that pays him $1.9 million this upcoming season and $3.5 million after that.
He will the a free agent after the 20-21 season and eligible for a max deal of at least $100 million.
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