Report: Dirk Nowitzki Set to Make Season Debut Thursday vs. Phoenix

Nowitzki will be one of six players in NBA history to play 21 seasons.

Dirk Nowitzki will make his season debut on Thursday when the Mavericks face the Suns, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. Nowitzki missed Dallas' first 26 games of the season while recovering from offseason ankle surgery. 

Nowitzki's debut marks his 21st season in Dallas, which is an NBA record for most seasons with one team. Nowitzki is one of six players in NBA history to play 21 seasons. The 40-year-old forward averaged 12 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season. He is expected to come off the bench for the Mavericks. 

Dallas has hit the ground running in 2018-19 and sit in seventh in the West at 15–11. Guard Luka Doncic is at the forefront of the Rookie of the Year race by taking the reigns of the Mavericks offense at just 19 years old. 

The Mavericks are searching for their first postseason birth since 2016.