Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki said in a recent Sports Illustrated article he didn’t want to go out like Kobe Bryant with a yearlong farewell tour. But Mark Cuban, who’s known the 7-footer since he bought a majority stake in the Mavericks in 2000, said otherwise.
“I don’t want people to high-five me everywhere I go or make this a big deal about me,” Nowitzki said. “What [Derek] Jeter did or what the closer, Mariano Rivera, did — every ballpark you get some gifts, you know, sausages in Milwaukee? No chance I’d ever do that. I’m not the guy who will say, ‘This is my last year' … When I’m gone, I’m gone.”
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Nowitzki has never been one for the spotlight. Instead, the German-born big man quietly played his way to sixth on the all-time career scoring list with more than 29,000 career points.
His owner, on the other hand, is arguably one of the most visible and vocal owners in professional sports and thinks Nowitzki is full of it when he says he doesn’t want a farewell tour, claiming the stoic shooter loves the attention his accomplishments bring.
“Bulls—! Bulls—, bulls—, bulls—, bulls—, bulls—, bulls—,” Cuban told Sports Illustrated. “Yeah, he loves that little wave when he comes out and passes a milestone. He loves it. LOOOVES IT! I don’t care what he says. ‘I don’t like going to the All-Star Games. I don’t want a farewell tour.’ He loves it!"
Nowitzki, 37, didn't indicate how much longer he would play, but when he does decide to step away it will be interesting to see if handles his final season and if he proves Cuban wrong.