Dirk Nowitzki is obviously a Dallas Mavericks legend, and he has won the franchise its only championship in 2011. However, he has since retired, and the franchise is now in the hands of superstar Luka Doncic.
Today, Dirk Nowitzki had his jersey retirement from the Dallas Mavericks. It is clear that he’s had a successful career, and this ceremony was obviously designed to acknowledge that. During this event, his former teammate and now Mavericks coach Jason Kidd took an opportunity to crack a joke.
A lot of teams have struggled with players continuously being sidelined under health and safety protocols. As a result, the league has allowed them to sign replacement players on 10-day contracts. Jason Kidd jokingly asked Dirk Nowitzki if he was willing to come back to the team, with Nowitzki vigorously gesturing to refuse.
"We're giving out ten-days. You wanna come back?" 😂
Jason Kidd had to go there#41Forever https://t.co/r0VhiLdw1s
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 6, 2022
Dirk Nowitzki is currently 43 years old, and it is highly unlikely that he’ll come back and play in the league. The Dallas Mavericks have a solid enough squad right now, and they don’t need help from an older former great. While it would certainly be entertaining to see Dirk Nowitzki suit up and play again, there’s no reason for that to happen.
There is no question that Dirk Nowitzki has had a top-tier NBA career, but that like everything came to a close. Every player ends up retiring eventually. His best spot now is off the court, helping the Dallas Mavericks in his special advisor role.
Hopefully, this ceremony for Dirk Nowitzki’s jersey retirement will end up being remembered for a long time. It was a great way to commemorate a legend of the game, and he’ll get a statue outside of the Mavericks’ arena as well. Dirk Nowitzki made a lot of people fall in love with basketball, and it is clear that he’s made Dallas a basketball city.
