Dirk Nowitzki has been in the NBA for 21 seasons and throughout the years, he has been one of the most dominant big men in the league. While the last few years have seen Dirk's numbers diminish, there is no denying just how important Nowitzki has been to the NBA and how the sports of basketball is played. On Tuesday night, Dirk finally announced that this was his last season in the NBA. The decision was a long time coming as Dirk had been fairly coy about what his plans were moving forward. NBA arenas were continuously giving Dirk standing ovations with no guarantee that it would actually be his last season.
Wednesday night was Dirk's last ever game in the league and he got to play against his biggest rival, the San Antonio Spurs. Before the game, Dirk was overcome with emotion as he balled his eyes out during his introduction. The Spurs faithful gave him a warm welcome and it was clear that he appreciated.
Nowitzki finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, although the team ended up losing the game 105-94. Dirk gave the fans what they wanted as he scored his signature step-back jumper with just a few moments left in the game. His teammate, rookie Luke Doncic was very excited by the play.
Last night marked an end of an era as Dwyane Wade played his final game as well.