Dirk Nowitzki was honored Monday, March 23, during The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s A Conversation With a Living Legend^® Dallas. MLB great and three-time World Series champion Clayton Kershaw joined Nowitzki in bringing together a distinguished audience of donors and supporters united in the mission to end cancer.

Held at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, the event raised more than $1.1 million to benefit the Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation at UT MD Anderson, led by pioneering physician-scientist Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D.

During the intimate evening, Nowitzki reflected on his successes on and off the basketball court in a friendly, relaxed discussion moderated by Kershaw. Nowitzki shared personal perspectives on teamwork, legacy and the impact of cancer on families and communities.

“The generosity of this community fuels breakthrough discoveries, accelerates innovation and brings us closer to a future without cancer,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of UT MD Anderson. “Dr. Rezvani and the Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation are leading the way by advancing a new generation of cancer cures through engineered immune cell therapies that are more effective, safer and easier to manufacture, helping us to get important treatments to patients sooner.”

Nowitzki, who spent a record 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, was honored not only for his Hall of Fame career but also for his deep commitment to philanthropy through the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation, which supports children and families in need, including young people facing cancer.

Despite his storied career, Nowitzki’s initial move to the U.S. as a high school graduate was uncertain and not without doubts and challenges. But perseverance and finding a community that embraced him shifted the playing field.

“It’s been an amazing journey. I honestly didn’t really know what to expect when I came here back in ‘98, so far away from home and my family,” Nowitzki said. “When you struggle a bit and have some doubts creep in, you just have to work through that and get better. I quickly fell in love with the community. But at the beginning, I didn’t know that I was going to play 21 seasons here. Now I can’t imagine it happening anywhere else.”

A Conversation With a Living Legend® is UT MD Anderson’s signature fundraising series and has raised more than $61 million over the past three decades in support of cancer research and patient care. The Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation is a key priority of Only Possible Here, The Campaign to End Cancer, UT MD Anderson’s historic $2.5 billion comprehensive philanthropy campaign. The campaign already has raised more than $2 billion to support groundbreaking innovations and transformative advancements that fuel the institution’s mission.