Dirk Nowitzki Gets Candid About Retired Life After Legendary Dallas Mavericks Career

The Dallas Mavericks legend is hitting a new career, though he used the opportunity to reflect on life retired from the hardwood.

Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Former Dallas Mavericks player Dirk Nowitzki after the Mavericks lost game three of the 2024 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks are one season removed from an NBA Finals appearance. While they are currently dealing with murky waters with a plethora of injuries hindering their current form, they are a contending squad when healthy.

The Mavericks are looking to raise their second banner in franchise history, with their first coming in 2011, led by a heroic run from Hall of Fame forward and Dallas legend Dirk Nowitzki. The legendary forward enjoyed a lengthy career in the NBA and, in particular, DFW before hitting retirement.

After some time away from the hardwood, Nowitzki is hitting the broadcast booth after recently agreeing to a deal to become a rookie broadcaster in the booth with Amazon as Prime Video is getting broadcast rights as a partner for the NBA on an 11-year deal.

Nowitzki is joining Taylor Rooks and Blake Griffin on the panel, as the booth will have some interesting talents covering the league and games they carry on the platform. The Mavericks legend, who spent 21 years with the club, is entering a new career.

In a recent interview with Marc Stein, Nowitzki revealed how smoothly he is handling retirement.

"Honestly it’s been a fun adjustment. I literally played until I was almost 41 years old. I think I gave my whole body and my mind to the sport and there was just nothing left to give there," Nowitzki said. "And I was totally fine walking away. I could feel that, I think, not only the last season but probably the second-to-last season already with obviously some health issues. And my last season right away I missed the first 30 games with inflammation on my ankle.

"So it was just … it was getting super hard to keep up and and I felt that mentally the stuff that I had to go through just to play games the end — it was just no fun anymore. So I was ready to walk away. I really was. I was ready to enjoy my family. And my dream was always to show the kids the world, travel and see places. As people know, my wife’s from Sweden and Kenya. Obviously I’m from Germany. So I wanted [their three children] to enjoy life and get to know different cultures and languages.

"I’ve got to say: It’s been a fun couple years. But I also think, from year to year, that the interest in basketball grew again.I think the first two years [of retirement], I barely watched. When I was traveling, I didn’t check the scores — not even Mavs games. I just needed to get away.

"Now I’m obviously watching for sure all the Mavs’ games when I can. I’m watching more again. And my kids are also starting to watch more and get excited about the NBA, so that’s also natural for me to sit there with them and watch even more again."

Nowitzki won't just be watching basketball, he'll be sharing the game he loves with the world. He'll be in the booth, reaching millions, by dissecting the current state of the NBA and sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience with fans across the world.

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READ MORE: Previewing Lakers Lineup Ahead of Mavericks Matchup

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