Dirk Nowitzki: Never Mind Best European, Dirk is an NBA All-Time Great

The NBA’s most beloved stars are typically big-time scorers who play above the rim and have a flair for the dramatic. They also possess marketable personalities, affording them lucrative corporate endorsement deals.

While Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki embodies the majority of these traits, he still manages to fly under the radar—even despite being a perpetual MVP candidate and having captured the award in 2007.

It took a playoff performance for the ages in which he dropped 48 points (12-of-15 FG, 24-for-24 FT) during Game 1 versus the Oklahoma City Thunder for Nowitzki to attract the attention he deserves.

His absolute annihilation of defensive specialist Serge Ibaka sparked a debate between color commentators Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy regarding Nowitzki’s place in history. While Jackson only ranked him in the top 30 greatest players of all time, Van Gundy steadfastly placed Nowitzki among the top 10.

It’s easy to take Nowitzki’s skills for granted because he’s so dependable. Each game is another day at the office, as 25 and eight with a couple threes has become the norm for Dirk over the past decade.

What we tend to overlook is Nowitzki effortlessly pulls up for his patented mid-range fadeaway or beats his opponent off the dribble for a baseline two-handed stuff in a manner typical of a guard. At seven feet tall, his athletic ability and coordination for a man that size defies logic and is unlike any player to come before him.

With his European-style fundamentals, Nowitzki has helped usher in a new type of post player—one with superb ball-handling and the confidence to face the basket and shoot from the three-point line inward. Now, it is not uncommon to see college players and rookie big men enter the NBA having already developed these skills (see Kevin Love, Andrea Bargnani, Spencer Hawes, etc).

Part of a long lineage of lanky multipurpose European players to transition effectively to the NBA, Nowitzki is a cut above guys like Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoc and Arvydas Sabonis. He is essentially the reason European players and their game have become so well-respected in NBA circles.

At almost 33 years old, it’s time to examine Nowitzki’s career more closely. Although he’s shown no signs of slowing down, in all likelihood, Nowitzki is on the edge of his prime and will soon begin to decline. Kobe Bryant, who is two months younger than Nowitzki, is frequently injured, and the wear and tear finally appears to be taking a toll. Our sports idols often seem invincible, but age does not discriminate and catches up to the best of them.

Currently, Nowitzki stands at No. 23 on the NBA all-time scoring list, trailing Charles Barkley, who sits at No. 18, by less than 1,000 points. Barring injury, Nowitzki should surpass him by midseason next year. As wild as it sounds, he could potentially bump Shaquille O’Neal (28,596 points) from the fifth spot sometime in 2015.

His individual accomplishments may be legendary, but it is the ultimate team accomplishment that has evaded Nowitzki; the Dallas Mavericks made one NBA Finals appearance during his tenure, falling to the Miami Heat 4-2 in 2006.

After a semifinals sweep of the defending champion L.A. Lakers, the Mavs look poised to return to the Finals. But just like the Boston Celtics, the clock is ticking for Dallas. This could be Nowitzki’s last chance to win a title, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by young guns Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, are not going to make it easy.

Beyond stats, players are measured by success, and championships are what separates the greatest from the great. Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley were selected as two of the NBA’s 50 greatest players, but they never quite reached the pinnacle of success because championships eluded them. Looking back on their careers, we regularly hear critics qualify their greatness with “but he never won a title.”

With the Western Conference Finals series locked at one game apiece, returning to the Finals is no simple task for Nowitzki and the Mavs. However, if he is able to bring home the hardware to the Lone Star State, rest assured that Van Gundy’s opinion could very well become the general consensus.