It’ll happen at American Airlines Center one of these days.
It occurred in Germany over the weekend.
Dirk Nowitzki’s final game.
The 37-year-old Mavs’ star was brought to tears after Germany’s National Team fell to Spain, 77-76, leaving the country out of next summer’s Olympics in Brazil. There’s a long-shot that Germany can attempt to qualify again next spring through a new rule, but Nowitzki’s emotions were that of a man who was finished.
“For me, in my head, at the end that was it,” Nowitzki told reporters after the game in Berlin. “That’s why I got emotional. I was exhausted. I left it all out there and we couldn’t come through. So it was very disappointing.”
Nowitzki averaged 14 points in five games in an attempt to play in another Olympics at the end of his career. He helped Germany earn a place in the Beijing Games in ’08 and was elected as Germany’s flag bearer in the Opening Ceremonies.
Selfishly, this is a good thing. Entering a season in which he will likely be counted on more than ever on a re-built, underdog team, Nowitzki needs all the energy he can muster toward his final seasons in Dallas.
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Sooner than later he’ll bid farwell to the Mavs. And as for tears, we ain’t seen nothing yet.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
