- Dirk Nowitzki will join Dwyane Wade and other peers in the Hall of Fame ceremony this weekend
- The Mavericks’ star retired in 2019 as an MVP, 14x All-Star, and NBA Champion
- Tony Parker hails Nowitzki as the European Jordan of basketball
As a 14x All-Star, 12x All-NBA player, and NBA champion, Dirk Nowitzki is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished European basketball players the world has ever seen. In 21 seasons with the Mavericks, he built an impressive career that will be celebrated for decades to come.
Where Dirk ranks among the top players of All-Time is obviously a matter of great debate, but there is no question that he’s part of the conversation when you consider the greatest of the European-born players.
“I always say that Dirk is the GOAT for European NBA basketball,” said Spurs legend Tony Parker ahead of Dirk’s Hall of Fame ceremony.
Drafted 9th overall in 1998, Nowitzki blossomed into a star almost right away, averaging over 20 points per game by his third season in the league. By the time Nowitzki won his first (and only) NBA title in 2010, he was already an MVP and multiple-time All-Star.
On those merits alone, he’s done more in the NBA than most players from Europe, and he really set the standard for those who came after him.
Dirk Broke The Stereotype Of Being A “Soft European Player”
During the height of his career, Nowitzki was still battling narratives and stereotypes about foreign-born NBA players. At the time, the league was mostly dominated by Americans, and Dirk stood out as one of the few exceptions.
“There weren’t that many European players in the league when I first came… I was skinny. I was a jump shooter as a seven-footer. So automatically, that’s perceived as soft,” said Dirk. “I do remember those stereotypes at the beginning, like I’d be guarding somebody on the wing in front of the opposing bench and all I hear from the bench, like, ‘Go at him, he’s soft!’”
Durk’s crowning achievement came in the 2011 Finals when he led the Mavericks to a shocking upset over the newly-built Miami Heat superteam with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
At that moment, Dirk became a living legend and the first German-born superstar to upstage the sport’s most popular player. In a lot of ways, Dirk set the stage for young stars worldwide, and we’re seeing the impact he had on players like Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama.
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