The Dallas Mavericks will reportedly have two of the greatest athletes in DFW sports history in uniform for their final home game of the season Tuesday.
Dirk Nowitzki, of course, will suit up for the penultimate game of his 19th season in Dallas. The other's storied career came with a different team, in a different sport.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will be on the Mavs’ bench, in a Mavs uniform, as part of a tribute to his 14-year career when the Denver Nuggets visit the American Airlines Center, the Associated Press and ESPN report.
The AP reports Romo will be wearing No. 9 -- a number also worn by backup small forward Nicolas Brussino.
Both ESPN and AP reports referenced a text message from Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle, in which he told reporters he and Mark Cuban "very much look forward to honoring one of Dallas' all-time best athletes and people with a very special sports experience."
The team has not officially announced any details about the tribute. A cryptic tweet sent by the team’s official account Saturday, containing a single emoji, may have been a nod to the reports that surfaced that day.
👀
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 8, 2017
Romo was officially released by the Cowboys Wednesday after news broke Tuesday that he was stepping away from football and into the TV booth as part of CBS Sports’ No. 1 broadcast team.
His 34,183 yards passing, 248 touchdowns, 30 game-winning drives and a 97.1 passer rating are all tops in Cowboys history.
The reports of Romo becoming a “Maverick for a day” were sure to be met with an array of reactions online. Houston Chronicle reporter Brian T. Smith had a notably salty response to the news, calling Cuban “arrogant and clueless” and saying it begs for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to “shut this whole farce down.”
Houston was thought to be Romo’s likeliest destination, had he opted to continue to play football.