The 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by win shares

Greatest NBA Player #8: Dirk Nowitzki-206.34

All of the players on this list were incredibly talented, but few players on this list have changed the game like Nowitzki did. Prior to him, big men who could consistently knock down threes were a rarity, but after he became a superstar, more started to appear. Dirk wasn’t just a knockdown 3-point shooter. He was skilled as a driver who took opposing bigs off the dribble that were forced to guard him on the perimeter, though he has one of the lowest turnover rates on this list.

Dirk could also bang in the post, particularly when teams tried putting smaller, quicker players on him to prevent him from beating them from outside. Dirk’s rainbow fadeaway ranks as one of the more iconic shots in the NBA and made his shot virtually impossible to block. It also made him incredibly efficient.

Despite being the only big on this list to consistently take threes, his .577 true shooting percentage is right in line with Moses Malone’s. His ability to score from outside, in the post, and from the line made him a prolific scorer, even becoming the first international player to score 30,000 points.

It should come as no surprise then that much of his win share comes from the offensive end, though his defense metrics are better than many would suspect. Considering he played the most games of any player in the top 20, it should also come as no surprise that he ranks sixth. That might be higher than the general consensus would list him at, but he should absolutely be considered a top-10 player.