Dirk Nowitzki hasn’t announced his retirement, but he’s getting a farewell tour anyway.
The latest stop in what might or might not be Nowitzki’s final jaunt around the NBA came Monday night with the Dallas Mavericks in Los Angeles to take on the Clippers. With nine seconds left in LA’s eventual 121-112 win, Clippers coach Doc Rivers grabbed the public address announcer’s microphone during a stoppage in play to honor the 40-year-old forward.
If you ask us, a standing ovation is always deserved for the 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selection and 2011 NBA Finals MVP. But it’s still a little strange to see Nowitzki receive all these honors — like his “special addition” to last week’s NBA All-Star Game — when he’s refused to say whether he’ll actually call it quits at the end of the season.
All signs point to this being Nowitzki’s final campaign, though. He’s posting career lows by far in minutes, points and every other meaningful category, and has started just two games after starting every game he appeared in for the past five seasons.
You wouldn’t want to let Nowitzki slip away without a fitting send-off, so it’s hard to argue with Rivers’ gesture — just in case.
Stay in the game with Skybook.ag, the best basketball sportsbook for NBA betting action.
