Nowitzki rejoining Mavs as special advisor

Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki is rejoining the franchise as a special advisor, he told Marc Stein of The New York Times.

At the request of team owner Mark Cuban, Nowitzki will help the Mavericks search for a new head of basketball operations and head coach.

"Mark approached me and asked me to help out, and of course I said yes," Nowitzki told Stein. "Any way I can help my Mavs, I'm in."

Nowitzki played all 21 years of his career with the Mavericks. One of the greatest power forwards in NBA history, he was instrumental in their 2011 title. He also leads the team all time in a plethora of categories, including games (1,522), points (31,560), rebounds (11,489), blocks (1,281), and 3-pointers (1,982).

Dallas is in need of a new general manager following the departure of longtime Mavericks executive Donnie Nelson on Wednesday. Additionally, head coach Rick Carlisle stepped down from his role Thursday, creating a vacancy behind Dallas' bench for the first time in 13 years.