Heading onto his home court for the very last time, and dropping 30 in front of his home crowd, is how most fans expected his career to come to a close.

After an illustrious 21 year career for the Dallas Mavericks, future hall of famer forward Dirk Nowitzki, called off an era at his last home game on April 9. Nowitzki is an icon for Dallas sports, for two decades and his legacy will be remembered for decades to come.

“He is truly one of the greatest athletes of all time,” Coppell High School assistant basketball coach Caleb Stevens said. “Staying loyal with any team for 21 years is hard for any athlete to accomplish, especially with his ability to play basketball.”

Nowitzki surpassed Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant for the longest time an athlete has spent their career on the same franchise. A 14-time NBA All-Star, 12 time All-NBA player, NBA MVP, and winning 2011 NBA Finals.

During his retirement speech, many current players, and NBA legends, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Larry Bird, Shawn Kemp, and Detlef Schrempf showed their respect to the long time Maverick by tweeting and showing their appreciation for the years of play he has put in for the league.

With his retirement announcement, fans old and young look back at his career, appreciating all he has done for the franchise.

“He set the standard for players that came from foreign countries, and showed the world that they are just as good as the ones in America,” CHS junior Safwan Chowdhury said. “My family and I have been going to games to watch him ever since I was little, and his retirement has been bittersweet.”

Nowitzki being one of the first European player on the Dallas Mavericks, the fans are excited for the future of the team with additions of Luka Doncic and newly acquired Kristaps Porzingis.

“The fans are excited to see Porzingis and Doncic on the court next year, trying to replicate what Dirk did for so long,” CHS junior Isha Agarwal said. “Doing what Dirk, is very difficult, but brings the excitement for the years to come.”