Dirk Nowitzki turns 38

Herzlichen Gluckwunsch!

Dirk Nowitzki turns 38 on Sunday, and after 18 seasons in the league, he's still going strong.

When the Milwaukee Bucks selected a little-known, 20-year-old German prospect and traded him to the Dallas Mavericks on draft night in 1998, few would have guessed the lanky forward would go on to help define the stretch-four position and become one of the top 50 players in NBA history.

Most expected the Mavs to fall out of the playoff picture this past season, but Nowitzki led them back for the 15th time in 16 years, averaging 18.3 points per game on near-37 percent shooting from deep. He has no plans on retiring yet, either.

Oh yeah, he's a funny dude too.

Happy birthday, Dirk.