Dallas Mavericks honored Dirk Nowitzki last night by sending the #41 to the rafters in the American Airlines Center. However, not before asking him to rejoin the team.
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Luka Doncic and co defeated the Golden State Warriors last night and the game was not close. They improved their record to 20-18 to take the 5th seed in the west. However, dethroning the Grizzlies from the 4th spot will not be an easy task as the gap is wide.
By defeating the team with the best record in the NBA, Mavericks gave the fans another reason to be happy tonight. The first one is Dirk Nowitzki’s jersey retirement. Dallas Mavericks conducted the ceremony right after the game to honor Dirk Nowitzki and his loyalty towards the team.
The 7-ft German brought them their first title and in a historic manner defeating the Miami big 3 in 2011.
It looked like Jason Kidd desperately wanted Dirk Nowitzki back on the Mavericks roster
The entire Arena was filled with fans who have seen Dirk Nowitzki lift the championship trophy. They all came out for this special night and Mark Cuban revealed the statue that will be placed right outside the American Airlines Center.
Dirk Nowitzki retired in 2019 after 21 glorious years with the Dallas Mavericks. He became the longest-tenured player in the history of the NBA with a single team. Even in his final season, he wasn’t there just to warm the bench. His shooting kept him in the game and he was a special addition to the all-star game that year as well.
During the ceremony Jason Kidd, his former teammate during the championship year tried to convince Dirk to suit up once more. As they are handing out 10-day contracts the head coach took a wild shot to get the 2007 MVP.
“Quick question, we are giving out 10 days. You wanna come back?”, Jason Kidd asked expectantly. Nowitzki however denied and for the right reason. Even in his last season, he had trouble running up and down the court no way he could come back now.
The Covid outbreak affected the Mavericks just as severely as any other team in the NBA. Luka Doncic and several others were sidelined for over 2 weeks and they slipped down on the table. They have been 3-0 since his return and will look to extend the streak.
