Late in the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Clippers' win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers stopped the game and called timeout to address the Staples Center crowd in order to honor Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, who is widely believed to be retiring at the end of the season.
It was a very nice gesture by a very classy coach in Rivers, and afterward, Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle showed his appreciation for the moment:
“It was one of the greatest things I've ever seen,” said Carlisle, per Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. “I've obviously had a couple of words with Doc and thanked him. That was original. I've never seen something like this and that's why Doc's special.”
Nowitzki ended up scoring 12 points in 25 minutes in the Mavs loss, which was actually one of his most productive outings of the season. Also, two nights earlier against the Utah Jazz, Dirk posted 15 points in 26 minutes.
Those are some hefty minute totals for a 40-year-old who is averaging just 5.3 points over 12.2 minutes per game this year.
While Nowitzki has not made any formal announcements, the general consensus is that the future Hall of Famer will be retiring at season's end. That's why NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made him a special addition to the All-Star Game along with Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade.
The big man is in his 21st NBA season, and over that time, he has averaged 20.9 points and 7.6 boards a night while winning an NBA title and notching an MVP award.
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