Dirk Nowitzki was the ultimate franchise player for the Dallas Mavericks.
Everything bigger in Texas, the Mavericks honored Nowitzki with a post-game jersey-retirement ceremony far longer than the NBA would’ve allowed at halftime.
There was so much praise to heap on the transformational power forward. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban unveiled a statue. Nowitzki had plenty of people to thank, too.
Dallas coach Jason Kidd – a former teammate of Nowitzki – had the line of the night with the league in chaos: “We’re giving out 10-days. You want to come back?":
Nowitzki quickly cut off the thought. He’s staying retired.
And now his No. 41 is, too.