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 fans and honor Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, who is widely assumed to be retiring at the end of the season.

It was an incredibly nice gesture by the ever-classy Rivers, and afterward, Nowitzki expressed his gratitude to the veteran head coach:

“It was sweet. I'm really appreciative,” said Nowitzki, via FOX Sports Southwest. “…I didn't really understand much (of Rivers' speech), but it was really, really humbling and it was an emotional moment and I'm really appreciative.”

Nowitzki actually had one of his most productive outings of the season in the loss, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds in a hefty 25 minutes. That came just two nights after he posted 15 points in 26 minutes.

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Those are pretty high-minute totals for a 40-year-old who is averaging just 5.3 points over 12.2 minutes per game this season.

On the 2018-19 campaign overall, Nowitzki is shooting 34.8 percent from the floor and 30 percent from 3-point range.

While the future Hall of Famer has not made any official announcements yet, the general consensus is that he will be retiring at season's end, which was why NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made him a special addition to the All-Star Game along with Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade.

Nowitzki owns career averages of 20.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He also has a championship and an MVP award under his belt.