Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history for 75th anniversary

Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history: No. 20 – Dirk Nowitzki

Career: 1998 – 2019

Achievements: 2011 champion; 2007 MVP; All-NBA (12x); All-Star (14x); Finals MVP; sixth in career scoring; 12th in career 3-pointers made

We’ve talked already about the iconic shots of Hakeem and Kareem, and Dirk Nowitzki joins their hallowed club, even if his move doesn’t have a cool name. Nowitzki’s one-legged fadeaway jumper was a thing of beauty, and he unleashed it again and again en route to becoming one of the NBA’s greatest scorers of all time.

One of the last players to retire from the generation of stars who stuck with one team for their entire careers, Nowitzki is without question the greatest player in the history of the Dallas Mavericks. He finished as a top-10 scorer in the league 10 times and ranks sixth in total points scored for his career.

An all-time great international player, Nowitzki ushered in a new wave of players from outside of the United States. He is the greatest-shooting 7-footer in league history, a position-bending offensive flamethrower whose defense was underrated during his prime. The Western Conference was a bloodbath during his career, and all of the Dirk, Duncan and Steve Nash trio think they should have won more series. Nowitzki broke through twice, losing the first time to Shaq and Dwyane Wade but winning the Miami rematch against Wade and LeBron.