It had appeared this way for some time, but it's now official: Dirk Nowitzki will retire following the 2018-19 season.
Dirk has officially announced his retirement after 21 seasons with the Mavs.
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 10, 2019
A true legend. 👏 pic.twitter.com/n432C8vAZQ
And what a way he decided to go out.
In what will go down as the final home game of his 21-year career, Nowitzki scored 30 points and pulled down eight rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks earned a 120-109 win over the Phoenix Suns; it was the first time that Nowitzki scored 30 or more points in over three years and at 40-years and 294-days old, he became the oldest player to score 30 points in NBA history.
Dirk exits the game having spent 21 seasons with one franchise, breaking the record of 20 years previously held by the Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant.
The future Hall of Famer leaves with quite the resumé as well:
- 2011 NBA Champion
- 2011 NBA Finals MVP
- 2007 Most Valuable Player
- 14x All-Star
- 12x All-NBA (4x First Team)
- Sixth on NBA's All-Time Scoring List
The Mavericks play their final game of the season on Wednesday when they take on the Spurs in San Antonio.