The Dirk Academy

Fantasy basketball since 2012

The Dirk Academy

Fourteen seasons of drafts, trades and trash talk, all played in the name of Dirk Nowitzki.

Read the history

Founded in 2012, one year after Dirk and the Mavericks beat the Heat. We play the game his way: stay loyal, win the margins and never fear a superteam.

From Würzburg to the rafters

Read the history

  1. 1978

    Born in Würzburg

    Dirk Werner Nowitzki arrives on June 19 in Würzburg, West Germany.

  2. 1998

    Draft night

    Picked ninth by Milwaukee and traded to Dallas the same night. He never plays for another NBA team.

  3. 2007

    Most Valuable

    Named NBA MVP after a 67-win season, the first European to win it.

  4. 2011

    The ring

    Dallas beats the Heat in six games, and Dirk is named Finals MVP.

  5. 2012

    The Academy

    A fantasy league is founded in his name. Fourteen seasons and counting.

  6. 2019

    Farewell

    Retires after 21 seasons in Dallas, the longest run with one franchise in NBA history.

  7. 2023

    Springfield

    Enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

  8. 2026

    Season XV

    A new season tips off this fall, and the rafters have room for one more banner.

League rules

The By-laws

Nine articles govern every draft, trade and title. Where they are silent, the commissioner rules, and the league can overrule.

  1. The League

    Name, calendar and who is in charge
    1. The league is The Dirk Academy, a fantasy basketball league founded in 2012 and played across the NBA regular season.
    2. The commissioner runs the league: sets the calendar, keeps the records and rules on anything these by-laws do not cover.
    3. Any ruling by the commissioner can be appealed to a league vote. A simple majority of managers overturns it.

  2. Managers

    Joining, returning and leaving
    1. Each team has one manager of record, who answers for every move the team makes.
    2. Returning managers confirm their seat before the draft is scheduled. Open seats are filled by invitation, with the league's approval.
    3. A manager who leaves mid-season hands the team to the commissioner, who runs it in good faith or finds a replacement.

  3. The Draft

    When, how and in what order
    1. The draft is held before the NBA regular season tips off, on a date the league agrees on.
    2. The draft is a snake draft. The order is drawn at random and published at least a week before draft day.
    3. A manager who misses the draft is auto-drafted by the league platform. There are no do-overs.

  4. Rosters and Scoring

    Settings lock when the draft starts
    1. Roster sizes, positions and scoring categories are confirmed before the draft and do not change mid-season.
    2. Managers set a full, active lineup every scoring period. Starting injured or inactive players on purpose counts as tanking under Article VIII.

  5. Trades

    Deals stand unless they are rigged
    1. Any two managers may trade players up to the trade deadline set in the league platform.
    2. Trades are never vetoed for being lopsided. Winning the margins is the whole point.
    3. The commissioner may reverse a trade only for collusion: a deal made to help one team at the other's expense, or in exchange for anything outside the league.

  6. Waivers and Free Agents

    Claims, priority and pickups
    1. Dropped players pass through waivers before they become free agents.
    2. Waiver order and the claim period follow the league platform's settings, which are confirmed before the draft.
    3. Dropping a player so a friend can claim him is collusion under Article V.

  7. Playoffs and the Title

    How a banner is won
    1. The top teams in the regular-season standings make the playoffs. Seeding and tiebreakers follow the league platform.
    2. The playoff winner is the league champion. Once the commissioner confirms the result, the champion's name goes up in the rafters.
    3. The champion is the Reigning Champion until the next one is crowned.

  8. Conduct

    Play it the Dirk way
    1. Stay loyal. Play every week to win, even after your season is gone. No tanking.
    2. Trash talk is part of the game. Keep it about the game.
    3. A manager who breaks these by-laws may be warned by the commissioner. Serious or repeated breaches can end in removal by a league vote.

  9. Amendments

    How these rules change
    1. Any manager may propose an amendment during the offseason.
    2. An amendment passes with a two-thirds vote of all managers and takes effect the following season.
    3. No rule changes during a season unless every manager agrees.

The reel