Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki Moves into Top 10 on All-Time Scoring List

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki moved into the top 10 of the NBA's all-time scoring list with a 21-point outing against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

Nowitzki entered the game with 26,693 career points, needing just 18 more to pass the legendary Oscar Robertson for 10th place.

Robertson has always been known for his tremendous peak more than his longevity, so falling to 11th place does nothing to tarnish his career. The Big O logged just 1,040 career games, 145 fewer than the 1,185 Nowitzki has already played.

As a matter of fact, Robertson's 1,040 games are the least among any of the top-16 scorers in league history, as 17th-place Jerry West marks the barrier with just 932 games played.

While Nowitzki may not be on Robertson's level in terms of all-around greatness, the German sharpshooter is unquestionably one of the most efficient scorers in NBA history, and he was arguably one of basketball's most underrated players until he won a championship in 2011.

Widely considered the best foreign-born scorer in league history, Nowitzki needs just 233 more points to solidify that in writing by passing Hakeem Olajuwon, per NBA.com/stats. Olajuwon, whose 26,946 points are good for ninth-most all-time, is the career leader in scoring among players born outside of the United States.

Dirk should pass Olajuwon early next season, at which point he can set his sights on the eight remaining names above him on the all-time scoring list.