DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki hosts the eighth annual Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Tennis Classic on Saturday at Banner House at T Bar M in Dallas. Steve Nash will again captain the team on the other side of the net.
Doors open at 11:30 a.m. CT, and the matches begin at noon, according to the foundation. The Classic is the foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year. All of the proceeds go to North Texas nonprofit organizations that support the health, education, and well-being of children and families.
Nowitzki played all 21 of his NBA seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. The field joining him and Nash includes Peja Stojaković, Devin Harris, DeMarcus Ware, Michael Bennett, John Isner, Mark Knowles, and actor Boris Kodjoe.
Stojaković won the 2011 title with Nowitzki in Dallas. Harris spent three separate stints with the Mavericks. Ware left the Dallas Cowboys in 2013 as the franchise’s all-time sacks leader with 117, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023. Bennett played his final NFL season in Dallas in 2019. Isner reached a career-high No. 8 in the ATP singles rankings.
A week in Berlin at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup kept Nowitzki off the court for most of the lead-up, he said Wednesday on Shan & RJ on 105.3 The Fan. He hoped to swing the racket a bit on Wednesday, Thursday, and maybe Friday.
“I’m able to hold my own against Steve on Saturday, since he’s the other team captain,” Nowitzki said. “He always beats up on me every year, so it’s time to set the record straight.”
Nash and Nowitzki played together in Dallas from 1998 to 2004. Nash, a two-time MVP, now sits beside Nowitzki on Amazon Prime Video’s NBA studio show.
Rev Run Headlines Dirk Nowitzki Foundation VIP After Party
Once the matches end, Choctaw Casinos & Resorts presents an invite-only VIP After Party at Banner House. Guests must be 21 or older. The party is for sponsors and celebrity participants, and Banner House members have the option to purchase tickets, according to the foundation. All proceeds from the party also go to the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation.
Rev Run of Run-DMC headlines the live entertainment. Run-DMC was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. On Wednesday, the hosts of Shan & RJ said Rev Run would also serve as master of ceremonies.
Magnus Ferrell, a 22-year-old singer, songwriter, and producer from Los Angeles, is also on the bill. Ferrell released his debut EP through Visva Records/Republic Records.
“We are excited to bring everyone together for a VIP party with incredible entertainment from Rev Run and Magnus Ferrell,” Nowitzki explained in a statement.
The foundation lists signature cocktails from its beverage partners and a custom dad hat and trucker hat bar with limited-edition patches among the party’s features.
Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Tennis Classic Raised More Than $1 Million in 2025
The seventh edition was played Sept. 13, 2025, at the same venue and raised more than $1 million. Cooper Flagg attended that event but did not play because of dental surgery.
Dallas took Flagg first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. He was named Rookie of the Year for the 2025-26 season.
The fifth edition was held at SMU’s Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex after a three-year break tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sixth was played Sept. 14, 2024, at Banner House after two years off.
Klay Thompson played in 2024, the summer he joined the Mavericks in a sign-and-trade. A couple of days before that event, Thompson came to Nowitzki’s house to practice, and he attended the foundation’s fundraiser dinner the night before the matches. Luka Dončić played in past editions during his time with the Mavericks. Andy Roddick, Ben Stiller, and Owen Wilson are also past participants.
Food drives and hospital appearances are part of the foundation work the Classic pays for.
“We’re proud to bring the tennis event back,” Nowitzki said. “This is our one big fundraiser, obviously, for our foundation that allows us to do all the great work in the community and the food drives and the hospital appearances and all the good stuff that we do. And so this is our big fundraiser, and we’ve been doing it. This is our eighth year now. We moved locations to T Bar, which is our home club, and it’s been super fun.”
“Got a lot of support. Got some celebrities coming in again with Steve Nash, Peja’s coming. Got some football guys with Michael Bennett and DeMarcus Ware. I’m excited to see what they got,” Nowitzki added. “So got a lot of support from celebrities always. Local sponsors have been amazing. And obviously the fans that come out to support. So it’s been a great event. It’s been growing from year to year, and we can’t wait.”
The foundation’s programs focus on the well-being, health, and education of children affected by illness, poverty, abuse, and neglect. More than 5,000 families have been fed through its food distributions, which run twice a year, according to the foundation’s event listing. Before the tennis event became its main fundraiser, the foundation held the Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game in Frisco.
Tickets on the event listing range from $90 to $150. The foundation says each ticket includes admission, lunch, and access to a cash bar. The listing adds a reserved seat for the indoor matches and limited-edition 2026 Tennis Classic merchandise.
