Dallas Mavericks superstar Dirk Nowitzki has announced that he will retire after the 2018-19 NBA season.

Nowitzki made the announcement in his final home game in Dallas on Sunday night. The 40-year-old superstar was emotional when he finally confirmed what everyone expected.

Dirk Nowitzki played his entire 21-year career with the Mavs, leading the franchise to their golden years. The German superstar led the Mavericks to a title finish in 2011 when they pulled off an upset against the Miami Heat — a team parading the big three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

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Nowitzki made the All-NBA first team four times, All-NBA second team five times and All-NBA third team three times. He was also a 14-time All-Star and was the league's Most Valuable Player during the 2006-07 NBA season. Nowitzki is considered by many as the best international player to play in the NBA.

The Mavs paid tribute to Nowitzki during his final home game. During the match against the Phoenix Suns, the franchise showed how the future Hall of Fame made an impact off the court, bringing the gentle giant to tears. The league also paid respect to him earlier in the season when he was named as a special member of the All-Star roster.

Dirk has career averages of 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. It remains to be seen whether or not he will play against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday., but while Nowitzki had a lot of tense and memorable battles with the Spurs, he is expected to get a lot of love when he visits San Antonio.