The 21 Greatest NBA stars that played for a single team

NBA stars that played for one team #7: Dirk Nowitzki

In addition to being one of the greatest players ever, Dirk Nowitzki has the distinction of being the only player to ever play 21 seasons with one team. That only adds to his legacy since he played all 1522 of his games with the Dallas Mavericks. Nowitzki helped put the Mavericks on the map during his two-plus decade career.

He led them to the playoffs 12 straight times, two NBA Finals appearances, and a championship in 2011. Nowitzki also helped revolutionize the game, in part thanks to his famous fadeaway jump shot.

This was all the more game-changing because, before Nowitzki’s debut in the 1997-98 season, most big men seldom attempted shots outside of the paint. He wasn’t like most big men, however, not by a long shot. Nowitzki baffled defenses by being able to effortlessly knock down threes, attack off the dribble, and post up smaller mismatches. Bigger, slower power forwards and centers simply weren’t able to guard a player like Nowitzki away from the basket.

When opposing teams like the San Antonio Spurs put smaller defensive players such as Bruce Bowen on him, he’d back them down, force a double-team, and still score with a turnaround jumper. It’s no wonder that he is one of just six players to ever score 30,000 points and one of just two players to ever do it with just one team. Legend.