Former Mav Zaza Pachulia lists Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd among best leaders he played with

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Dallas Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia (27) and Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) share a laugh on the bench during the first half of play in a preseason game at American Airlines Center in Dallas, on Wednesday, October 21, 2015. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)


It's good to know that the legacy of Dirk Nowitzki still lives on in the NBA.

Former Maverick Zaza Pachulia, a 16-year veteran of the NBA who now works as a consultant with the Golden State Warriors, recently penned a piece for The Athletic where he listed some of the best leaders he ever played with during his lengthy career.

Unsurprisingly, the Mavs legend Nowitzki was one of three players Pachulia named, with the former center saying Dirk had a "great work-humor balance." Pachulia also lauded Warriors guard Stephen Curry and another former Mavericks teammate, Jason Kidd, who just parted ways with Dallas after five seasons as its head coach.

"Every day was fun with him," Pachulia said of Nowitzki, who holds the record for most seasons played with one team after spending all 21 years of his NBA career in Dallas. "But when the preparation for the game started, he would have his game face on. ... To me that was leadership"

Pachulia spent just one season in Dallas playing with Dirk, but Nowitzki's career spanned the entirety of Pachulia's, and the 6-11 Georgian center spent plenty of time trying to cover the Mavs' big German.

Pachulia spent two seasons in Milwaukee, where Kidd was his head coach for the 2014-15 season.

"He was such an important part of my career," Pachulia said of Kidd. "I had the best year of my career with him in 2014-15 with the Milwaukee Bucks. ... He helped everyone on the team to become proactive instead of reactive. That was one of the things I truly learned from him: be proactive. Read the play ahead of time. Understand what’s going to happen."

Pachulia also credited the Warriors' icon Curry, crediting the surprising care and leadership he viewed from the future Hall of Famer as the team's best player.

Read the full post here.

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