Mavericks retire Nowitzki jersey on emotional night

Dirk Nowitzki wiped a tear as his No 41 rose slowly above the court not far from the podium where the franchise icon for the Dallas Mavericks had held it together through a 20-minute speech until it was time to thank the fans.

"I almost made it through without getting emotional," Nowitzki said moments before the banner-raising finale of the ceremony to retire his number after his old team's 99-82 victory over Golden State on Wednesday night. "But you guys get me every time."

The concourse of Nowitzki's old home arena displayed memorabilia that fans lined up to see, and waited in some cases even longer to buy his jersey. They chanted "MVP! MVP!" just about every time they saw him, live or on the video boards above the court, all night.

The Mavericks were honoring Nowitzki nearly three years after he announced his retirement on the court at the American Airlines Center after the final home game of the 2018-19 season. He played one more game at San Antonio.

The 43-year-old Nowitzki played a record 21 seasons with the same franchise, beating the late Kobe Bryant's previous mark of 20 with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history led the Mavericks to their only championship in 2011 and their only other NBA Finals appearance five years before that. The big German changed the game as the best 7-foot (2.1-meter) shooter from 3-point range.

Nowitzki leaned in to his wife, Jessica, their three kids standing with them, as the banner was raised with his number, name and the years he played (1998-2019) as sparklers sprayed toward the court.

Agencies