After 21 seasons in Dallas, the German Dirk Nowitzki has announced an end to his career. He will play his last game Wednesday night.

At 40, and after more than two decades in Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki formalized his retirement after the match between the Mavericks and Phoenix on Tuesday night (120-109). An anecdotal meeting, since both teams were already eliminated from the play-offs race, and which preceded a long ceremony in honor of the German.

"An extraordinary adventure"

Dirk Nowitzki has not finished completely on the floor. He still has a game to play in San Antonio, the night of Wednesday to Thursday. But for his last home, Tuesday, after announcing his retirement, the emotion was palpable. A grand ceremony was held, with the presence of other legends of the NBA. Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley and Larry Bird, models Dirk Nowitzki, were indeed present. Very moved, the German said to have lived "an extraordinary experience", explaining having made this decision for physical reasons. Mark Cuban, the president of the franchise, has announced the withdrawal of Dirk Nowitzki's jersey, the famous number 41, and a statue in his honor would be built in front of the Mavericks Hall. The German scored more than 30,000 points in Dallas, making him the sixth-leading scorer in NBA history.

Only European MVP elected

True legend of the NBA, Dirk Nowitzki has not always known the stars. Arrived in the United States in 1998, he scored only 8.2 points per game in his first season, far from his average of 20.7 points after his 21 seasons on the other side of the world. 'Atlantic. The first European to be voted Best NBA Player (MVP) in 2007, he is to date the only representative of the Old Continent to have gleaned this reward. Winner of the NBA in 2011, he completed his record with a silver medal at Euro 2005, with Germany, and a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2002.

Dwyane Wade also bows out

Another star to retire, Dwyane Wade shone against Philadelphia (122-99). Planned for a long time, the retirement of "Flash" is nonetheless an event. For his last home game, the back of the Miami Heat was to his advantage, with 30 points. That did not stop his team from being eliminated from the play-off race. Former US President Barack Obama praised Dwyane Wade in a video, saying he has "achieved one of the best careers in NBA history." Famous number 3 will last one last time the floors of the NBA, the night of Wednesday to Thursday, in Brooklyn.