Dirk Nowitzki played 21 seasons in the NBA, and all were with the Dallas Mavericks. He is the only player to post this long of a tenure, followed by the late Kobe Bryant, who tallied 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2019, Nowitzki retired following a season full of tributes and jersey swaps. On Jan. 5th, the Dallas Mavericks and owner Mark Cuban honored the NBA legend by retiring his jersey after the Mavericks’ game against the Golden State Warriors. 

Festivities 

Before the ceremony and game, fans in attendance were welcomed to the “41 Forever” tributes throughout the concourse. The concourse was decorated with a plethora of memorabilia from Nowitzki’s career for fans to view and photograph. This includes 8 game-used basketballs, 11 pairs of game-worn basketball shoes, and 13 game-worn jerseys. 

During the game, there were tribute videos and cutaways to the Mavericks’ legends in attendance to honor Nowitzki. 

After the game which saw the Mavericks win 99-82, the jersey retirement ceremony took place. Nowitzki was in attendance for the ceremony which saw his jersey officially retired, signified by a banner being raised into the rafters. Dirk’s legendary No. 41 is only the fifth number retired by the Mavericks. No. 41 joins Derek Harper (No. 12), Brad Davis (No. 15), and Rolando Blackman (No. 22) in the rafters. The team also has No. 24 retired in honor of the late Kobe Bryant, which was a decision by team owner Mark Cuban. 

Attendees 

Along with the roughly 20 thousand Mavericks fans in attendance for the ceremony, there were several well-known names at the American Airlines Center. Adam Silver, NBA commissioner, kicked things off with a speech, followed by Jason Kidd, the Mavericks’ current head coach and a former teammate of Nowitzki. And of course, Mark Cuban played a major role in honoring the greatest Maverick of all-time, even announcing a statue of Nowitzki that will be erected outside of the arena. One familiar face not in attendance was former Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, who was in Indianapolis coaching the Pacers against the Nets.