Can Erozden
06 January 2022•Update: 06 January 2022
ANKARA
The Dallas Mavericks retired their German legend Dirk Nowitzki's jersey in a ceremony on Wednesday night.
The Mavericks beat the Western Conference leaders Golden State Warriors 99-82 in an NBA game in Dallas, with a postgame ceremony held to honor Nowitzki, the team's former power forward.
The 2011 NBA champion's no. 41 jersey was raised to the rafters of the American Airlines Center.
Nowitzki, 43, played 21 seasons with the Mavericks from 1998-2019.
Several players from the 2011 championship team including the Dallas' head coach Jason Kidd attended his ex-teammate's ceremony.
The crowd at American Airlines Center chanted "MVP! MVP!" when Nowitzki took the stage to give a speech.
"This pillar always gave me a warm welcome when I got here, and this pillar always wanted me to succeed and always pushed me and gave me the strength to work hard and motivated me.
"But what I appreciate most was this pillar supported me during the tough, tough playoff times and playoff losses. You know what, that pillar is you. Thank you," Nowitzki said to thank the Mavericks fans for their support for at least two decades.
Nowitzki, a 14-time All-Star, won the 2011 NBA title.
He was one of the notable international players in the league, ending his career with 31,560 points in 1,522 games, ranking sixth on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
He was also named the 2007 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and was the 2011 finals' MVP as well.
Nowitzki became the fourth Mavericks player to have his jersey retired as Dallas previously did it for Brad Davis, Rolando Blackman, and Derek Harper.
He was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in October 2021.
Separately, Nowitzki played for his native Germany to win a bronze medal in the 2002 FIBA World Championship, now called the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
He also led the German national team to a silver medal in the EuroBasket 2005.
