Dallas Mavericks big man Dirk Nowitzki is in the midst of his 21st NBA season, and while his body may be beginning to fail him at an elite level, his sense of humor remains in a class of its own. After a throwback ESPN The Magazine cover was unearthed Sunday, Nowitzki took to Twitter to remind the people that the 2019 version of Dirk is at least partially blushing over the 2002 version.

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The goatee and blonde curls may have been toned down in time, but there's little doubting that the Nowitzki/Tracy McGrady magazine cover remains iconic. Nowitzki was just beginning the ascension of what would become a Hall of Fame career, having to trade in his jersey for new logos, but never a new team name over all of his years in the league.

While nothing has been made official, the NBA as a collective seems to think that Nowitzki's age-40 season in the league will be his last. From the honorary addition to the NBA All-Star team (making him a 14-time All-Star), to Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers stopping his last game in the Staples Center so that fans could give him the proper send-off, Nowitzki appears to be ready to ride off into the sunset.

His indelible legacy lives on within his own locker room. The original European icon donning magazine covers has paved the way for his teammates — Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis — to become new faces of the league should they continue their current trajectory. Hopefully they'll regret their cover poses less than Nowitzki does his.