Dirk Nowitzki Officially Announces Retirement After Last Mavericks Home Game

We’ve thought it all year, but it’s now it’s official. Dirk Nowitzki will be retiring from the game of basketball after the end of the 2018-19 season.

Nowitzki announced his official retirement during the post-game honor ceremony the Mavericks put together after his last home game, with Charles Barkley and Larry Bird among others honoring the longtime Mavs great.

Nowitzki will retire as one of the great forwards of all time, as well as a revolutionary figure both in the international sphere and the NBA sphere. He was one of the first big men to make his living as a jump-shooter, an oddity when he was drafted that is now a requirement for nearly any forward in the NBA.

Nowitzki will likely stick around Dallas after he retires; he’s spent his entire career with the Mavericks, and owner Mark Cuban has gone on record saying he can have whatever job he wants after his playing days. It’s only a matter of time before Nowitzki has his own statue outside the American Airlines center.

Thanks for everything, Dirk. The NBA will miss you dearly.