Dirk Nowitzki: The 6th best NBA scorer of all time

The Milwaukee Bucks made Dirk Nowitzki the ninth overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft. Milwaukee then immediately traded Nowitzki to the Dallas Mavericks, meaning he never actually wore a Bucks jersey. His NBA debut was delayed by the 1998-99 NBA lockout, but it finally came on February 5, 1999 against the Seattle Supersonics and fellow German Detlef Schrempf.

Nowitzki, whose mother played basketball for Germany and whose father was a second-division handball player, was born in Würzburg on June 19, 1978. He didn't pick up a basketball until he was 13, but it was clear from the start that he had talent. It was while he was playing for Würzburg in Germany's second division, that the then 19-year-old first drew the attention of several NBA scouts.

Nowitzki's trademark is his fadeaway jump shot. It may not be as spectacular as a dunk, which he's also more than capable of producing, but it's just as effective. The NBA's best defensive players often said how hard it was to defend Dirk when he was in the groove. It seems he can do it all.

Nowitzki had the honor of being Germany's flagbearer at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. However, Germany's basketball team failed to make it to the knockout phase. Nowitzki did win the bronze medal with Germany at the 2002 World Basketball Championship as well as silver at the 2005 edition of the tournament.

Holger Geschwindner was an elite basketball player who represented Germany at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. However, he is far better known as the man who discovered Nowitzki. In 1995 he convinced Nowitzki to dedicate himself exclusively to basketball. Even now, Nowitzki sometimes has Geschwindner fly over to the US, where he is still the NBA star's personal trainer and mentor.

Dirk Nowitzki and his Dallas Mavericks won the 2011 NBA championship. The German helped make the title possible through more than just his play on the court. He agreed to accept a contract that paid him below market value, in order to allow the team to bring in other big-name stars. Dallas won the NBA final series 4 games to 2 over Lebron James and the Miami Heat

Nowitzki thus became the first-ever German to win an NBA title – putting him in the same conversation as former German sporting greats Max Schmeling, Franz Beckenbauer and Michael Schumacher. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of those NBA playoffs, four seasons after he had become the first European to be named the NBA's MVP.

Despite all of this success, Dirk Nowitzki has always kept his feet planted firmly on the ground. He makes himself available for interviews whenever he can and takes time to sign autographs for the fans as often as possible. However, the father of three children tends to keep his family life to himself.

Nowitzki is the curator of a foundation committed to the promotion of youth welfare, as well as the education and training of socially disadvantaged people. Involved in a number of other projects, the German has earned himself a reputation as a player whose influence reaches beyond the basketball court. Here he is talking about “Basketball without borders” at a press conference in South Africa.

Offseason ankle surgery meant that Nowitzki was only able to return to the court late last year. However, when he did, on December 13, he set the NBA record for the most seasons played at a single club (21). He also became just the fifth NBA player to last for 21 seasons, tying a league record. As of February 4, 2019, he is seventh in the NBA's regular season scorers' list with 31,275 points.

Dirk Nowitzki entered his 21st season in the NBA knowing that he would be playing a diminished role compared to his heyday. However, in recognition of his remarkable career and contributions off the court, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made Nowitzki one of two special team roster additions for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game on February 17. The other is Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat.

In February 2019, Dirk Nowitzki jumped up to sixth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. In doing so, he passed basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain, who holds NBA records for most points in a game (100) and highest points-per-game average in a season (50.4). Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Michael Jordan have scored more career points than Nowitzki.

Currently, the best player on the Dallas Mavericks is Luka Doncic (right). The 19-year-old guard from Slovenia is having an even better rookie season than the veteran Nowitzki had two decades ago, averaging more than 20 points and seven rebounds per game.