Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki says the left foot surgery he underwent last season “had to be done.”

Nowitzki had surgical debridement of his left ankle on April 5, 2018. Dirk played in 77 games last season for the Mavs and averaged 12.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists, shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range.

“It had to be done,” Dirk told Marc Stein of the New York Times. “My foot really wasn’t moving much already last season. Honestly, how I feel now is how I should have felt a long time ago, but then the tendon got inflamed and I had to deal with it. It kind of messed up the season for me in some ways — it threw me back so far. To start from zero in the middle of the season, as a 40-year-old, was tough luck.”

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The German forward, however, said that he really can't complain about the unfortunate injury he picked up last year, citing that he has had an “unbelievable good fortune” throughout his 21-year career in the NBA.

Dirk Nowitzki missed the first 26 games of the 2018-19 season as he recovered from the injury and surgery. The best player in Mavs franchise history made his season debut in December.

We'll see if Dirk comes back for one more season with the Mavs. All of Dallas is hoping for it.