It's been about seven years since the Dallas Mavericks have contended for an NBA Title, as they have dealt with some lowly rebuilding years. The one constant that brings fans to American Airlines Arena for Mark Cuban has been Dirk Nowitzki, and on Monday, they made sure it would be for at least one more season. The Mavericks were able to re-sign the veteran to a one-year deal, bringing him back for his 21st season with the team and in the league.
The 13-time All-Star will become the first player in NBA history to play 21 consecutive seasons for the same team. He is already one of six players overall and the first international player to score more than 30,000 career points. Nowitzki just turned 40 last month, around the same time when the Mavericks declined a team option on his contract. Although, the plan was to re-sign him the entire time if he was willing to come back.
When the Mavericks declined that option, the German star was still undecided on whether or not he would retire. They cut ties with the old contract so there was no deal hanging over his head while he made up his mind. Now that he has decided to return, Dallas wanted nothing to do with seeing him in another uniform. He was set to make $5 million next season, and has signed a similar deal to the two-year agreement he signed last summer.
The 7-foot-tall forward missed just five games this past season, starting all of them, while averaging 12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds with the young team. He has one NBA Title under his belt from 2011 over LeBron James and the Miami Heat, as well as two NBA Finals appearances. He has averaged 21.2 points for his career, and needs to play in 29 games this upcoming season to reach 1,500 for his career.
The 13-time All-Star will become the first player in NBA history to play 21 consecutive seasons for the same team. He is already one of six players overall and the first international player to score more than 30,000 career points. Nowitzki just turned 40 last month, around the same time when the Mavericks declined a team option on his contract. Although, the plan was to re-sign him the entire time if he was willing to come back.
When the Mavericks declined that option, the German star was still undecided on whether or not he would retire. They cut ties with the old contract so there was no deal hanging over his head while he made up his mind. Now that he has decided to return, Dallas wanted nothing to do with seeing him in another uniform. He was set to make $5 million next season, and has signed a similar deal to the two-year agreement he signed last summer.
The 7-foot-tall forward missed just five games this past season, starting all of them, while averaging 12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds with the young team. He has one NBA Title under his belt from 2011 over LeBron James and the Miami Heat, as well as two NBA Finals appearances. He has averaged 21.2 points for his career, and needs to play in 29 games this upcoming season to reach 1,500 for his career.
