DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki said Wednesday that he has barely played tennis in the last few weeks. He heads into Saturday’s eighth annual Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Tennis Classic facing Steve Nash, who will again captain the other team.
Nowitzki made the comments on Shan & RJ on 105.3 The Fan. The event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT on Saturday at Banner House at T Bar M, 6060 Dilbeck Lane in Dallas, with a VIP after party to follow. Nowitzki has been traveling, including a week in Berlin at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
“I just got back in town,” Nowitzki said. “I was in Europe for a week at the Women’s World Cup, so I haven’t played much in the last few weeks. I’ve been busy, traveling some. So hopefully today and tomorrow, maybe Friday, I’ll swing the racket a bit.”
“I’m able to hold my own against Steve on Saturday, since he’s the other team captain,” Nowitzki continued. “He always beats up on me every year, so it’s time to set the record straight.”
Nash and Nowitzki were teammates in Dallas from 1998 to 2004. Nash, a two-time MVP, also works alongside Nowitzki on Amazon’s NBA studio show.
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The Classic moved to T Bar M, which Nowitzki called the family’s home club, and this year marks its eighth edition.
“We’re proud to bring the tennis event back,” Nowitzki explained. “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 continued. “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.”
“It’s a great family event,” Nowitzki added. “We have food. We have fun. We talk some trash on the microphones. We have some meet and greets. So it’s a sweet event, and it’s going to be taking place this Saturday at 11:30 at T Bar. So come on out and support, and it’ll be a fun family day.”
The announced field includes Nash, John Isner, DeMarcus Ware, Peja Stojaković, Mark Knowles, Devin Harris, Michael Bennett, and actor Boris Kodjoe, according to CW33. Isner is a former world No. 8. Ware is the Dallas Cowboys’ career sacks leader with 117 and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023. Bennett played high school football at Alief Taylor in Houston and college football at Texas A&M, and he finished his 11-season NFL career with the Cowboys in 2019. Stojaković won the 2011 championship with Nowitzki in Dallas. The show’s hosts said Rev Run will serve as master of ceremonies.
The seventh edition was held Sept. 13, 2025, at the same venue and raised more than $1 million, PaperCity reported. Past participants include Luka Dončić, Andy Roddick, Ben Stiller, and Owen Wilson.
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Nowitzki’s foundation also staged a celebrity baseball game in Frisco for several years. Baseball looks easy on TV, and tennis can be just as frustrating for anyone without a racket background.
“It’s funny. Baseball looks so easy on TV,” Nowitzki said. “When you actually stand there, it looks like an easy motion. You’re like, ‘Wow, this is so hard to hit this little ball.’ Tennis is also hard if you don’t really have a racket background. It can be a really frustrating sport as well.”
“But over the years, we’ve had some great players. We have some pros. John Isner is coming back this year, obviously, as an amazing player,” Nowitzki continued. “But that’s part of the charm of our event. We have some great players and some pros, ex-pros, and then we have some guys that were a little challenged, I would say, with the rackets.”
“So that’s part of the charm and part of the fun of the event. And even this year, we’ve got some really good players and some players that need some work,” Nowitzki added. “It’ll be fun. Like I said, I don’t know how good DeMarcus Ware and Michael Bennett are, but we’ll find out this Saturday. It should be fun.”
Tickets on the event listing range from $90 to $150. All proceeds go to the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation, which funds projects and awards grants to North Texas nonprofits.
