When did Dirk Nowitzki retire? Revisiting the Mavericks legends' final NBA season in 2019

Brendan OSullivan

When did Dirk Nowitzki retire? Revisiting the Mavericks legends' final NBA season in 2019 image

Dirk Nowitzki entered the league as a skinny 7-footer from Germany in the 1998 draft.

At the time, he drew comparisons to Detlef Schrempf, a veteran 6-10 forward from Germany. While Schrempf put together a solid career, Nowitzki far exceeded those expectations.

Nowitzki played 21 seasons, all for the Dallas Mavericks, and helped the organization win its first NBA title. He's played alongside players such as Hot Rod Williams, Dennis Rodman, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and even Luka Doncic.

Kidd, Doncic and the Mavericks are entering the NBA Finals for the first time since Nowitzki led Dallas to an upset win against the Miami Heat in 2011. When did the Hall of Famer retire, though?

The Sporting News answers that question and more on Nowitzki's NBA career below.

MORE: Celtics or Mavericks: Who will win the NBA Finals?

When did Dirk Nowitzki retire?

Nowitzki retired from the NBA after the 2018-19 season. He played 21 seasons, all of which were for the Dallas Mavericks.

The Milwaukee Bucks drafted the power forward in 1998 but immediately traded him to the Mavericks in exchange for the No. 6 pick Robert Traylor. Traylor played seven years in the NBA.

Nowitzki was a skinny, German-born player that could stretch the floor, and Don Nelson, the Mavericks coach at the time, was adamant about selecting him. Nelson and his son Donnie had crafted a plan to ensure they landed Nowitzki on draft night.

"We scouted Europe more than anybody, really,” Don Nelson told NBA.com. "Donnie got the international team to work out at the YMCA in downtown Dallas. So for a full week, I’m watching Dirk work out. He was the most unbelievable young player I’d ever seen.

"We hid Dirk for several weeks before the draft," Nelson continued. "We made a commitment that we were going to draft him. We just wanted to keep him from going anywhere else to work out. He was going to be ours. He was happy with that. So he hid for a week in Donnie’s basement."

Nowitzki proved to be the best player from the 1998 draft class, earning 14 All-Star appearances, 12 All-NBA selections, the 2006-07 MVP and 2011 NBA championship. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.

MORE: Remembering Dirk Nowitzki's patented one-legged fadeaway

Did Dirk Nowitzki play with Luka Doncic?

The Mavericks went from one European star to another leading the franchise when they drafted Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Doncic was touted as one of the best international prospects in history and would get to play his rookie season alongside Nowitzki, arguably one of the greatest international players in NBA history.

MORE: How Luka Doncic compares to Dirk Nowitzki six seasons in

Nowitzki and Doncic played the 2018-19 season together before Nowitzki retired.

Nowitzki was very much on his way out of the league. He even said he wished he retired sooner to spend more time with his kids.

"Of course, there were highlights, but we didn't perform well on the court, and I couldn't even really move anymore," Nowitzki said on Einfach mal Luppen, soccer star Toni Kroos' podcast. "If I had quit two years earlier, I could probably move better today and play soccer with the kids sometimes. I can't do that at all now."

Nowitzki averaged 7.3 points in 15.6 minutes per game across 51 games. Doncic, on the other hand, was just starting his torment on the league. He averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 rebounds per game to win Rookie of the Year.

Dirk Nowitzki career stats

SeasonGMPGPPGRPGAPGSPGBPGFG%3-PT%FT%
1998-994720.48.23.41.00.60.640.5%20.6%77.3%
1999-008235.817.56.52.50.80.846.1%37.9%83.0%
2000-018238.121.89.22.11.01.247.4%38.7%83.8%
2001-027638.023.49.92.41.11.047.7%39.7%85.3%
2002-038039.025.19.93.01.41.046.3%37.9%88.1%
2003-047737.921.88.72.71.21.446.2%34.1%87.7%
2004-057838.726.19.73.11.21.545.9%39.9%86.9%
2005-068138.126.69.02.80.71.048.0%40.6%90.1%
2006-07*7836.224.68.93.40.70.850.2%41.6%90.4%
2007-087736.023.68.63.50.70.947.9%35.9%87.9%
2008-098137.725.98.42.40.80.847.9%35.9%89.0%
2009-108137.525.07.72.70.91.048.1%42.1%91.5%
2010-117334.323.07.02.60.50.651.7%39.3%89.2%
2011-126233.521.66.72.20.70.545.7%36.8%89.6%
2012-135331.317.36.82.50.70.747.1%41.4%86.0%
2013-148032.921.76.22.70.90.649.7%39.8%89.9%
2014-157729.617.35.91.90.50.445.9%38.0%88.2%
2015-167531.518.36.51.80.70.744.8%36.8%89.3%
2016-175426.414.26.51.50.60.743.7%37.8%87.5%
2017-187724.712.05.71.60.60.645.6%40.9%89.8%
2018-195115.67.33.10.70.20.435.9%31.2%78.0%
Career152233.820.77.52.40.80.847.1%38.0%87.9%

*MVP season

Brendan OSullivan

Brendan OSullivan Photo

Brendan O'Sullivan is an editorial intern for Sporting News, joining in 2024. He previously worked at Newsday on Long Island, New York after graduating from Quinnipiac University.