Dallas Mavericks: Creating history by re-signing Dirk Nowitzki

The Dallas Mavericks are making NBA history by re-signing European-born NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki to a team friendly contract for one year at $5 million.

Former MVP Dirk Nowitzki helped create history by re-signing with his only known team, the Dallas Mavericks. He is set to be the first player in NBA history to play 21 consecutive seasons with one franchise. The previous record was retired NBA legend and future Hall-of-Famer Kobe Bryant, who played with the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 consecutive seasons.

The seven-foot German native is currently sixth all-time in the NBA for points scored with a career total of 31,183. The signing will give Nowitzki the opportunity — barring injury — to surpass Wilt Chamberlain, who is currently fifth on the list at 31,419 total career points. Dirk is only one of seven players in NBA history to have totaled over 30,000 career points, a list including only one other current NBA player, LeBron James.

The 40-year-old’s $5 million contract is the same amount he would have been guaranteed for 2018-19 for the second season of a 1+1 deal (team option) signed last summer, per ESPN. Dirk has proven to be a wonderful franchise player, both on and off the court, making sure the Mavericks are in the best position to compete.

Over the course of his career, he has posted averages of 21.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, shooting 47.2 percent from the field. He’s posted a 22.6 Player Efficiency Rating, 206.1 win shares, and 1,918 total 3-pointers in 1,471 games with the Dallas Mavericks, per Basketball-Reference.

Since Dirk entered the league in the 1998-99 season, he has led his team to have won 954 games, more than any other team except the San Antonio Spurs, per Mavs.com. He is a statistical machine who excels at winning, including three 60-win campaigns and 11 seasons with at least 50 wins. Nowitzki is undoubtedly a future Hall-of-Famer, and the Mavericks have a once-in-a-lifetime, loyal player continuing to make historic records that many may never be broken.

The “Dunking Deutschman” is set to have a similar role to what he provided the Mavericks this past season. With the addition of four new and exciting prospects in Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Kostas Antetokounmpo and Ray Spalding, he’ll help cultivate and transition them into the Mavs’ organization and playing style.

The coaching staff and executives are going to look to Nowitzki to help welcome the new potential faces of the franchise and mentor them into becoming the future stars for the franchise. The potential of the new Mavericks’ rookies are plentiful, and the team still has enough experienced veterans aside from Nowitzki to start becoming competitive again in the tough Western Conference.

At this stage in his career, his mentorship and leadership qualities are what makes him valuable to the youthful Mavericks team — similar to what he has done in previous seasons, most recently with last year’s rookie standout, Dennis Smith Jr.

Dirk Nowitzki is the first player to ever suit up for one NBA franchise for 21 consecutive seasons, and it makes perfect sense for both him and the Mavs.