Dirk Nowitzki tells ESPN’s Tim MacMahon that he isn’t certain about his future, and that he wants to decide whether or not he keeps playing on a year-by-year basis:
Dirk Nowitzki plans to play at least two more seasons for the Dallas Mavericks. That’s not a promise, however.
“I always said I wanted to kind of take it year by year,” Nowitzki said Thursday while promoting a celebrity tennis event he will host Sunday at SMU. “But signing a two-year deal doesn’t mean I necessarily have to play those two years. I think we’ll see how next year goes, how the body responds, and then we’ll make that decision again next year. But obviously, I would love to play the next two years and then just see how it goes.
“By that point I’m turning 40, and that’s already up there in age for the NBA, so we’ll just have to wait and see how the body responds next two years.”
Mavericks’ GM Mark Cuban rewarded Nowitzki’s eternal loyalty by giving him a two-year contract worth $50 million — more money than Nowitzki asked for.
Nowitzki is grateful to Cuban, he tells MacMahon:
“He’s been incredibly loyal to me, and I’ve shown obviously that I’ve wanted to be here last couple years,” said Nowitzki, who would join Kobe Bryant as the only players to NBA history to play 20 seasons with only one franchise if he completes the contract. “And I think he wanted to reward me in a way. It makes me obviously feel great and feel wanted. I’m happy that I can finish my career here in Dallas, where I always wanted to be, and hopefully finish strong the last couple of years.”
Nowitzki is a sure-fire First Ballot Hall of Famer, regardless of when he retires. His résumé currently consists of:
One championship
One Finals MVP award
One Regular Season MVP award
13 All-Star Game selections
12 All-NBA Team selections (4x First Team, 5x Second Team, 3x Third Team).
All-Time leading scorer for the Dallas Mavericks
50-40-90 Club member (Only other members: Larry Bird, Mark Price, Reggie Miller, Steve Nash, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry)
Sixth most points in NBA history
