For years, Dirk Nowitzki has been the rock at the center of the Dallas Mavericks roster, an unstoppable scoring force that you could build around. Of course, as he’s aged (he’s now 38 years old), the Mavs have been forced to consider what life will be like without him — considerations that have hastened as he’s been out with an Achilles injury, including for Dirk himself. The German says he might retire as early as this offseason.
“If things don’t go so well and it hurts everywhere, it could be that 2017 will be the end,” the forward told German magazine Sport Bild.
Achilles injuries are extraordinarily difficult to recover from, although Dirk doesn’t have the full tear that ruined the end of Kobe Bryant’s career. Dirk added that he’d like to play 20 years in Dallas, which would take him to the end of the 2018 season, but time and its ravages don’t always cooperate. Dirk seems to have enough of a head on his shoulders to know that if he can’t get right this season, there’s little point in another lost year.
Whenever Dirk decides to retire, he’ll go down as the greatest European player in the history of the NBA, at least until Kristaps Porzingis has played a few more years.
(Via Yahoo Sports)
