"Bro Shaq got PTSD from that" - NBA fans roast Dirk Nowitzki's attempt to let a fan dunk over him

Dunking over a seven-footer is hard to pull off at any level of basketball. Dirk Nowitzki can attest to this, as he was part of a dunk fail ahead of his former team’s Dallas Mavericks’ game three defeat against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

In a promotional event outside the American Airlines arena in Dallas, Nowitzki was used as a pole to jump on by a basketball player named Chris, who made the seven-foot, Mavericks legend hold a ball over his head for a dunk attempt.

Instead, the stunt ended in an epic fail as the hooper did not come close enough to jump over Nowitzki, pushing the former NBA champion stumbling into the crowd. Wearing a formal long-sleeved polo, Nowitzki got his collar ruffled after the failed jump-off.

Here is the video:

Fans then came out on social media and roasted the incident, showing their love and concern for Dirk Nowitzki, considered one of the most beloved superstars in the league.

“Why would he even do that in the first place 😭” one fan replied in the clip.

“Damn near injured that man well into his retirement 😂” another fan said.

“Bro got shaq PTSD from that… leave him alone 😭” another fan wrote

O’Neal was used as a prop in a similar dunk attempt in this year’s All-Star weekend with winner Mac McClung. The only difference was that McClung pulled it off, leaving Shaq unscathed.

Some fans even remarked on the awkwardness of the situation, making fun of the dunker’s audacity to use Nowitzki in his failed stunt.

“Damn Chris” that announcer sounded so disappointed,” a fan wrote.

“Bro is trash💀,” one fan said.

“Bro didn’t even touch the ball at all 😭😭,” said another fan.

Nowitzki was in attendance later that day in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, watching the Mavericks lose their third straight game in the series.

Fellow Mavericks legend puts Dirk Nowitzki over Luka Doncic in Dallas' all-time ranking

Dirk Nowitzki gave the Mavericks its first and only NBA title in 2011 in what was an improbable run against the dynastic Miami Heat. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic was seen as the heir to Dirk’s throne in Dallas when he entered the league in 2018.

While Doncic remains in the early stages of his career and playing in his first NBA finals, former teammate and longtime Mavericks player JJ Barea revealed that no one but Nowitzki is the greatest Mav of all time.

“No, Dirk Nowitzki is an all-time Mav forever. There’s no way... Luka could be the best player in the world forever, and Dirk would still be the [greatest] Mav of all time," said Barea.

Dirk played 21 years in the NBA, all with the Dallas Mavericks, scoring 31,560 points, the sixth most by a player ever. Nowitzki played his final season with Doncic, before retiring in 2018.