According to Rick Carlisle, a new era of Dallas Mavericks basketball has begun with the retirement of the legendary Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki.
Nowitzki officially announced his retirement after Tuesday's clash with the Phoenix Suns. And following his final game against the San Antonio Spurs, the German forward shared a moment with his teammates in the locker room.
Carlisle described the moment as “emotional,” and for him, what he saw is the end of an era and a start of a “new phase of” Mavs basketball.
Carlisle said there was an emotional locker room scene with Dirk, teammates, coaches and owner Mark Cuban. “This is the beginning of a new era, of a new phase of Dallas Mavericks basketball. Other young men are going to have to step forward and fill those shoes.”
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) April 11, 2019
Dirk Nowitzki spent all 21 of his NBA career with the Mavs, so it's easy to understand where Rick Carlisle is coming from. Dirk literally carried Dallas on his back, eventually bringing the city a championship in 2011.
Now that Nowitzki is gone, young players such as Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson and Kristaps Porzingis must carry the torch in the 2019-20 season and beyond.
Nowitzki retires as the Mavs' franchise all-time leader in points (31,560), rebounds (11,489), blocks (1,281), 3-pointers made (1,982), and games (1,522).
The 40-year-old Nowitzki, a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer, averaged 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in his NBA career. He is a 14-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA first team, five-time All-NBA second team, three-time All-NBA third team, NBA MVP and Finals MVP.
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