Dirk Nowitzki is widely considered one of the best international players to have ever played the game. He is viewed as the greatest shooting big man of all time, and his proficiency from the midrange area is often talked about.
During his career, Dirk Nowitzki won one championship, during the 2010-2011 season. That championship is often considered one of the most difficult ones ever: Dirk Nowitzki was the lone star on that Dallas Mavericks roster, and on top of that, he has had to go through some extremely difficult competition to get there.
Reporter Landon Thomas has recently pointed out that Dirk Nowitzki went 12-3 against 6 NBA Top 75 players during that run, and the list included top-tier players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. There’s no doubt that this is a tough gauntlet to get through to get the NBA title.
Dirk Nowitzki went 12-3 against 6 of his peers on the NBA’s Top 75 list, during his 2011 championship run.
4-0: Kobe Bryant.
4-1: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden.
4-2: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade. pic.twitter.com/sGqMnecytx
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) June 12, 2022
Dirk Nowitzki went 12-3 against 6 of his peers on the NBA’s Top 75 list, during his 2011 championship run.
4-0: Kobe Bryant.
4-1: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden.
4-2: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade.
It seems insane to think about the fact that Dirk Nowitzki managed to beat all of these all-time greats over the course of one playoff run. This simply shows just how great he himself was, and there’s a solid argument that Dirk Nowitzki is underrated when it comes to all-time rankings.
There is no doubt that Dirk Nowitzki has been a huge influence on basketball, showing that shooting big men can win at a high level. On top of that, he has inspired many in the Dallas area to play basketball. Notably, Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham once claimed that Dirk Nowitzki was the reason he fell in love with basketball. Dirk Nowitzki’s impact on the game is felt even today, and perhaps in time, more people will appreciate what he was able to do during his career.
