The Big German will be gracing us with his presence for at least another year.
Addressing the media on Thursday after the Dallas Mavericks’ season finale the night before, 13-time All-Star big man Dirk Nowitzki said that he will “definitely” be returning to the Mavs next season for his 20th NBA campaign. As if that wasn’t news enough, Nowitzki even left open the possibility of playing a 21st as well, per Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.
. @swish41: "I'm definitely playing next season." Leaves open possibility for 2 more. pic.twitter.com/A0o2oeoArg
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) April 13, 2017
Nowitzki will turn 39 in June, and Achilles issues limited him to just 26.4 minutes per game across 54 appearances this past season for the Mavs. But the former MVP’s mainly perimeter-based game limits some of the wear and tear, and he had always viewed 20 years as something of a magic number.
Nowitzki’s contract with the team does indeed run through next season, and the fact that he’s even considering the possibility of playing beyond that (especially given his sentiment just a few months ago) makes this fantastic news all around from the future Hall of Famer.
