Dirk Nowitzki made his retirement decision official Tuesday night during a game against the Suns.
The German-born basketball legend addressed the Dallas Mavericks crowd and said, “As you guys might expect, this was my last home game.”
Within seconds, it became clear that he was fighting back his emotions.
“This was my last home game.”
Dirk Nowitzki teared up officially announcing his retirement pic.twitter.com/olv6dhjqiR
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 10, 2019
I don’t know how anybody who is a basketball fan could watch that video and not feel their heartstrings being pulled at. (RELATED: Miami Heat Release Dwyane Wade Tribute Video, Barack Obama Honors Him For Final Home Game)
What a ride this guy has had in the NBA the past two decades. Since entering the league in 1998, he has an NBA ring, scored over 30,000 points and did it all with the Mavericks. Very few players stick around with one team their whole careers, and he did it while dominating.
What a career for @Swish41 pic.twitter.com/Iy4EDVmtYY
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 10, 2019
He also made more than $250 million. My guess is that he won’t be struggling to buy food anytime soon.
![](https://media.giphy.com/media/h0MTqLyvgG0Ss/giphy.gif)
The final game of Nowitzki’s storied career will be tonight against the Spurs. Then, the man will ride off into the sunset and await his induction into the Hall of Fame.
He will go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game and one of the most entertaining players to ever watch.