Dirk Nowitzki to Make NBA History Thursday Night

Dallas Mavericks veteran Dirk Nowitzki could finally be about to play this season. In doing so, he will enter a record-breaking 21st season with the Dallas Mavericks.

According to ESPN sources, Dirk Nowitzki is in line to play for the Mavericks against the Phoenix Suns Thursday night.

For the first time this season, Dirk Nowitzki was listed as questionable on Monday. However, he sat out the Dallas Mavericks’ home win against the Atlanta Hawks.

Nowitzki is still recovering from a setback he suffered after having an operation on his left ankle last spring.

Want $250 to bet on the NBA?

Nowitzki, 40, is the NBA’s sixth all time leading scorer with 31,187 career points. He was supposed to be fit for training camp before suffering a setback on his injury.

The issue was the tendon in his left foot flared up as a result of playing pickup games in September. His foot was too flexible because of the removal of bone spurs that had built up over the years.

Nowitzki has been getting back to full fitness in recent weeks though. He has joined in with Dallas Mavericks’ practice and played 3 on 3 games.

Read: NFL Week 15 – 5 Underdogs to Bet

“Rhythm will be tough,” Nowitzki said.

“The last game I played was the end of March. Nobody just takes seven months, eight months off and comes out balling. It’s going to be a process for me playing against NBA players, [especially] the speed of the game these days. It will take me probably a couple of games to get used to it, but we’ll see how it goes.

“I’m not going to play 30 minutes anymore. Maybe get a couple of stints here and there and see how it goes.”

When he plays, he will become the first player to spend 21 seasons with the same franchise. The only other player to play at least 20 years with the same team is Kobe Bryant, who played 20 with the Los Angeles Lakers.