Mavs' Nowitzki set to make debut of 21st season vs Suns

PHOENIX — Dirk Nowitzki was active for Dallas' game against Phoenix on Thursday night (Friday Manila time), prepared to belatedly begin his record-setting 21st season with the Mavericks.

No other NBA player has played that many seasons with the same team.

The 40-year-old had been tied at 20 seasons with Kobe Bryant, who retired from the Los Angeles Lakers after the 2015-16 season.

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Nowitzki had surgery to remove bone spurs from his left ankle last April, and the timing was to make sure he would be ready at the start of his record-setting season. But the 7-foot German had a setback before training camp, with tendon soreness forcing him to continue rehabbing the injury and missing the first 26 games.