Hats off to Nowitzki. His heart is in the right place. For those who don't know, Don Nelson's wife is being treated for cancer and Dirk raised money by having his head shaved at a game.
Hair-raising event courtesy of Dirk 01/20/2002 By JODIE VALADES / The Dallas Morning News Dirk Nowitzki added a new pre-game task to his ritual Saturday night. He sat in Don Nelson's office, and signed plastic baggies filled with his hair. Nowitzki signed 45 bags filled with his shorn blond hair – which he admitted looked a little darker and greasier than he remembered on his head. "It's gross," Nowitzki said. "I wouldn't spend any money on this." Fans, however, did spend money on it. The Nowitzki Hair-in-a-Bag was available at a silent auction at Saturday's game, an idea of Nelson's to raise money for breast cancer in the name of Nelson's wife, Joy. She will have breast cancer surgery Monday, and Don Nelson will miss Monday and Tuesday's games to be with her. Early supplies of Nowitzki's hair were going for $100 – all by donation – with a couple of bags set aside for former owner Ross Perot Jr. Nowitzki said he has received negative feedback on the new haircut – a closely shorn look that replaced his shaggy hairdo just before tipoff Thursday in Memphis. He admitted his sister, his girlfriend and his mom all gave the new look a thumbs-down. Nowitzki's mother saw the haircut Thursday when the game against Memphis was broadcast live in Germany. "She just about had a heart attack," Nowitzki said. A try at adding a headband to the look quickly was discarded after pre-game warmups.
But it apparently wasn't planned though. According to the story we heard in Dallas, his long hair was bothering him before the game so he went back in the locker room and tried to snip a little away. Eduardo Najera then happened to walk in, saw Dirk struggling, and whipped out a razor and offered to "help out". Shaved it off on the spot. Afterwards, I guess when they were picking it up, someone came up with the idea to sell it in the name of Joy Nelson. We have had debates on mavtalk about whether he looks good or not. The consensus so far is UGLY.
