On Tuesday night, veteran Dallas Mavericks big man Dirk Nowitzki ended months of speculation and officially announced his retirement at an emotional ceremony following his team’s 120-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns, his final game on his home court in the American Airlines Center.

Nowitzki was joined on the court by a few of his own personal heroes, including Larry Bird, Scottie Pippin, Shawn Kemp, Charles Barkley, and fellow German player Detlef Schrempf, who congratulated Nowitzki in his native language, saying “Ich wollte dir sehr gerne gratulieren und ich bin sehr stolz auf dich.“

The 14-time All-Star appeared in 1,522 regular season games over 21 seasons with the Mavericks, making him one of very few players to remain with one team for so many seasons.

As for Nowitzski, he says he is excited to travel and spend more time with his family, but he will certainly “miss the heck out of it.”

Watch Nowitzki’s farewell speech and more from the ceremony here.