The Dallas Mavericks announced Thursday that they have reached a contract agreement with Dirk Nowitzki, who has been the face of the franchise for almost 20 years. The team did not provide specifics regarding the terms of the deal, but ESPN reports that Nowitzki will receive $10 million over two years.
Nowitzki’s previous contract included a $25 million team option for the 2017-2018 season, which Dallas declined after discussions with their star, who presumably agreed to the less lucrative deal so that he could remain a Maverick.
This is the third time he has done so.
On October 17, Nowitzki will embark on his 19th full season in a Mavericks uniform. If he plays through the end of his new contract, he will become the second player in NBA history to spend a 20+ year career with a single franchise.
Whether he reaches that milestone or not, Nowitzki has carved out a legacy as one of the best basketball players of all time. This year, he became the sixth player in history to record over 30,000 points. He needs just 1159 points to pass Wilt Chamberlain for the fifth spot on the league’s all-time scoring list. He could do so this year.
The 13-time all-star was named MVP in 2006-2007. In 2011, he earned a Finals MVP award after leading the Mavericks to their first championship in franchise history.
Since then, the team has not advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs.
This year, the Mavs recorded their first losing record since 1999-2000, Nowitzki rookie year. That season, Nowitzki played in just 47 games, averaging a mere 20.4 minutes per game. Essentially, as long as Nowitzki has been on the court, the Mavericks have been winners.
Last year, though, the veteran, then 38, missed 28 games due to a lingering injury to his right achilles. He still managed to average 14.2 points per game.
In the same article cited previously, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon credits Nowitzki with having introduced the “stretch power forward” position to the NBA. A stretch power forward (or “stretch four”) has the size and skillset to play close to the basket, but also boasts superior shooting range.
Nowitzki stands at exactly 7 feet tall and owns a .381 career three-point shooting percentage. The former distinction makes him one of the league’s tallest players; the latter earns him a place among its top 100 all time three point shooters.
According to the Dallas Morning news, the two distinctions combine to make Nowitzki “the best seven foot shooter in NBA history.”
“I think I can always shoot threes,” Nowitzki has said. “I think I can shoot threes when I’m sixty.”
In a few decades, he might be doing just that—maybe in a Mavericks uniform. Dirk has indicated no intention of retiring anytime soon. He intends to play as long as he enjoys the game and remains healthy, MacMahon says. That writer also cites “the Mav’s competitiveness” as a “factor” in Dirk’s decision as to when to hang things up.
“Money isn’t something I play for,” says Nowitzki. “I want to compete. I want to win.”
His actions, as the old cliche goes, speak louder than his words. He has brought a winning culture to the Mavericks’ locker room—since his first full season in 2000-2001, the Mavericks have missed the playoffs just twice—and become one of “the most beloved athletes [in] the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” according to SportsDay of Dallas Fort Worth.
He has done it all at a discount and has no plans to stop.
“I started playing [basketball] when I was 13 to have fun with my teammates, and that never stopped,” says Nowitzki.
He and his Mavericks teammates will have two more years of fun together. Apparently, Nowitzki figures $10 million a year constitutes reasonable enough compensation, given the circumstances.
