Tony Romo torches nets in Dallas Mavericks pregame warmups

April 12 (UPI) -- Move over, Dirk Nowitzki.

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo impressed fans Tuesday at the American Airlines Center by showing off his basketball skills during the Dallas Mavericks' pregame warmups.

Romo wore No. 9 for the practice session before the Mavericks lost 109-91 to the Denver Nuggets. He put up jumpers and layups with the team and sat on the bench during the game for the Mavericks' regular-season home finale.

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, Scott Linehan, Jason Witten, Ezekiel Elliott, Sean Lee, Terrance Williams, Lucky Whitehead, Byron Jones, Kavon Frazier, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Zack Martin were at the game watching Romo during his "Maverick For a Day" experience.

Romo also attended the team's morning shootaround. When it was time for the game, he ran out of the tunnel and the announcer called him on the court saying: "At guard, in his first season from eastern Illinois, welcome to Dallas No. 9, Tony Romo!"

"Thank you guys. This is an honor I could never dream of," Romo said on a microphone before the game. "I'm a very lucky guy. Thank you, Dallas. I love you."

The former starting quarterback never checked in, though he did try with 3 minutes remaining in the game before being pulled back by Mavs owner Mark Cuban.

Cuban told NBA Commissioner Adam Silver he wanted Romo to play in the contest.

"I told him what I was going to do and said, 'Fine me if you don't like it," Cuban told ESPN. Silver then told Cuban that the NBA would not honor the contract.

The former all-state guard at Wisconsin's Burlington High School was cheered by fans wearing his jersey and holding signs referencing their gratitude. The Mavericks sold Romo Mavericks jerseys for $85 and T-shirts for $25, but they were sold out by the end of the first quarter, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Former Mavericks guard Caron Butler was also an all-state selection in Wisconsin during his high school days. He recently said Romo could have played pro basketball.

"This is a guy who has huge credibility as a competitor over just about every sport," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said, according to the Cowboys website. "He's played hurt. He's played with broken bones. He's gone through multiple collarbone injuries and played and performed."

"He's really done so many legendary things from a competitive standpoint. There's a lot of respect for him."

Romo now turns his sights to his new broadcasting gig at CBS Sports. The Cowboys cut the 14-year NFL veteran on April 4.