It wasn't Dwyane Wade's “One Last Dance,” but the 2018-19 season played out as a farewell tour of sorts for Dirk Nowitzki nonetheless. Just one problem: Despite the public's insistence otherwise and multiple teams offering tributes to the future Hall-of-Famer, Nowitzki hadn't actually announced his imminent retirement at the conclusion of the season.

Fortunately, the basketball world avoided widespread awkwardness on Tuesday night when Nowitzki, after scoring a season-high 30 points in his last game at American Airlines Center, finally confirmed the long-held assumption that his playing days would end following Wednesday's season finale against the San Antonio Spurs. The Mavericks legend, however, apparently didn't come to a final decision to retire until recently.

“It kind of happened the last few days,” he said, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. “I wasn’t sure, maybe.”

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Nowitzki, who missed the first 26 games of the season while dealing with nagging foot pain, also suggested that he would continue playing if his body permitted it. Unfortunately, the discomfort that delayed his debut until mid December this season never completely subsided, robbing him of the opportunity to directly facilitate the growth of Dallas going forward behind presumptive Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic and injured star Kristaps Porzingis.

“I was struggling this year with my foot. That's no secret. It's just not there where it needs to be to compete at a high level for 82 games,” Nowitzki said. “I felt actually some of the best today, but I've got a lot of treatment over the course of the season — pills, injections. It just doesn't make any sense anymore to keep doing that for another season, even though I'd love to be there. I'd love to be there with [Porzingis] and Luka and all these young guys and have fun with them and mentor them as much as I can. But it just doesn't make any sense anymore physically.”

Nowitzki, 40, retires as the Mavericks' all-time leader in games played, points, rebounds, blocks, three-pointers, and several other statistical categories.