DALLAS — Two years after his retirement from the NBA, beloved Dallas Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki will be celebrated once more -- this time as the Mavs retire his jersey in a ceremony that will take place after the team hosts the Golden State Warriors for a home game at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday, January 5.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is expected to be in attendance, along with more easily anticipated guests such as head coach Jason Kidd and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
Nowitzki played 1,522 games with the Mavs, and he is the only player in NBA history to spend 21 seasons with the same team. He ended his career as the team's all-time leader in most statistical categories, and also was a 14-time NBA All-Star selection.
He was also the first European-born player to win the league's MVP trophy. Perhaps most notably for Mavericks fans, Nowitzki led the franchise to its first and only NBA championship during a memorable 2011 season and playoff run.
“Dirk is everything to the Mavs,” Cuban said in a press release detailing Wednesday's festivities. “First 41.21.1., and now lifting his jersey to the rafters. It is a special day for the Mavs and Mavs fans around the world.”
Shortly after Nowitzki's retirement, the city also renamed a stretch of Olive Street near the American Airlines Center as Nowtikzi Way in Dirk's honor.
Nowitzki will join Brad Davis (#10), Rolando Blackman (#22), and Derek Harper (#12) as the only other Mavs players to have their jersey’s hung in the rafters. The Mavericks also retired longtime Los Angeles Lakers rival Kobe Bryant's #24 jersey in the wake of his tragic death in 2020.
If you would like to attend the Maverick's January 5 jersey retirement ceremony for Nowitzki, visit the Dallas Mavericks website for more information about tickets.
