(Dallas, TX)  —  Number 41 is officially ending his NBA career.  Dirk Nowitzki announced Tuesday night his 21-year run with the Dallas Mavericks will end once the regular season wraps up on Wednesday.

He told a massive crowd at the American Airlines Center in Dallas he appreciated all their support over the years and praised his teammates.  Nowitzki also joked that after such a big tribute on this night, he couldn’t wait to find out what Mav’s owner Mark Cuban will do for his jersey retirement.  Cuban promised three things to Dirk – 1. The team would hold on to everything he (Dirk) taught them, 2. Cuban would retire the #41 and 3. He would build the “biggest, baddest statue” to honor his franchise player.

Cuban also brought in NBA legends Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Larry Bird, Shawn Kemp, and Detlef Schrempf (a fellow German and former Mav player) to the game, who all spoke of their admiration for the way Nowitzki played the game.  All five were players that Nowitzki said he looked up to, while growing up in Germany.  Many of Dirk’s teammates from years past were also in attendance as well as a big group of Dallas Cowboy players.

Fans in attendance at the last home game were given a t-shirt that read 41.21.1  It stands for Dirk’s jersey #41 – his 21 seasons – 1 team, representing his loyalty to the Mavericks and the city of Dallas.  The future Hall of Famer told the crowd  “I left Germany 20 years ago and I became a Texan”, saying he and his family will be staying in Big D.

“Swish” scored 30 points in his final NBA home game in Dallas with the Mavs beating Phoenix 120-109. 41-21-1.  Tonight the Mavericks finish their season and #41’s career in San Antonio against the Spurs.