I love a lot of things in my life, but the thing that I love most is going to sporting events with my Dad. Over the years, my Dad has gotten tickets to a lot of cool sporting events. But the one that was the coolest for me was on November 13, 2008 where my Dad and I were able to meet former MVP and Olympian, Dirk Nowitzki.
'Wow!' I screamed. 'I can't believe it Dad. Are we really going to the Mavs game, and maybe meeting the players after the game?'
'Yep,' he replied. 'I hope you're psyched about going.'
'Don't worry, I am.'
Since my Dad and I arrived at the American Airlines Center (AAC) we had a little bit of time before the tip-off, so we decided to go look around in the Mavs pro shop. When my Dad and I were looking at some merchandise, I spotted an authentic throwback Dirk Nowitzki jersey. Then, five minutes later, the best thing happened. I was able to purchase it.
Since tip-off was about to start, my Dad and I decided to go find our seats. The seats were incredible! We were so close, that you could see sweat dripping off the players.
After a couple of minutes into the game, Kobe Bryant started to score frequently. It wasn't very rapid, but he gradually kept scoring and scoring until finally he reached 30 points. My Dad and I both agreed that no matter who guarded Kobe, and no matter what move they made him perform, he would always make the shot; only Kobe Bryant can do that.
Even though it was a fantastic game, the Mavs tragically lost points to the Lakers. But even though I had a load of fun, my night wasn't over yet!
A very nice woman named Tiffany walked up to us and escorted us under the seats, right next to the Mavs locker room.
In 20 minutes, I received autographs from Erick Dampier, Jerry Stackhouse, Jason Terry and Gerald Green. But the main autograph that I was waiting for was Dirk Nowitzki's. 'If you're going to get Dirk's autograph, you're going to be waiting close to midnight man,' one of Jason Terry's relatives told me.
Even if that were the case, it would be worth the wait. Dirk's incredible. I would give anything to meet him.
Finally, at about midnight my Dad and I saw Dirk Nowitzki come out of the locker room.
'Hi,' he said to me. 'I brought you my game shoes. Do you want me to sign your jersey and take a couple of photos with you?'
That one question by Dirk absolutely blew me away. I couldn't believe it. I met Dirk Nowitzki, and even though everything went perfect that day, my favorite part was hanging out with my Dad. And no autograph will ever change that.