Basketball: Dirk Nowitzki's historic night overshadowed by spelling error

Dirk Nowitzki's name was misspelled on his jersey on the night he played his 50,000th minute in the NBA. Photo / @BR_NBA/Twitter

It seems no matter how long you've been with a team, a tough name to spell will always remain just that.

Dallas Mavericks sweet-shooting big man Dirk Nowitzki is in his 20th season with the NBA franchise and, on Tuesday (NZ time), he became just the sixth player in NBA history to have played 50,000 minutes.

However, on a night where he would likely have wanted to keep his jersey as a memento, Nowitzki walked out onto the court to face the Los Angeles Clippers at LA's Staples Centre in a top that read 'Nowitkzi'.

The NBA's 50,000-minute club: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Elvin Hayes and Dirk Nowitzki.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 6, 2018

The German forward has played his entire career with the Dallas Mavericks, leading them to a NBA Championship in 2011.

While social media was buzzing with the lack of proof-reading on the team jerseys, Nowitzki admitted he hadn't noticed it until after the match.

"I actually just saw it," he told media. "I had no idea. I guess it happens. I usually look at my jersey, so I never even saw it myself. It happens. I guess it kind of sums up our season."

The @dallasmavs swing it around to find Dirk for 3 on @NBATV!
#MFFL pic.twitter.com/jjEKCZn2CI

— NBA (@NBA) February 6, 2018

The 39-year-old's Mavericks have had a disappointing season, struggling near the bottom of the Western Conference with a 17-38 record. They embodied their poor season in the final quarter of Tuesday's match against the Clippers, giving up a 13-0 scoring run in the final five minutes of the match to fall to a 104-101 loss.

The @LAClippers closed the game on a 13-0 run to take the W at home!#ItTakesEverything pic.twitter.com/yImxzZPQEl

— NBA (@NBA) February 6, 2018

Nowitzki finished with 12 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes of action.

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