When I was a kid, the Warriors and the Cavs weren’t the best teams in the NBA and Steph Curry was simply an adolescent. Every one of my boy classmates loved the Lakers and the Heat and idolized LeBron James, Shaq, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett and Dwayne Wade. Although I didn’t care about basketball in the days of my youth (yuck I hate that phrase), I’ve always known about Dallas Mavericks PF Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk began his NBA career a couple years after I was born and his name is often equated with success. After 18 seasons with the Mavs, Dirk recorded his 30,000th career point. Regarded as one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history, Dirk helped lead the Mavs to 15 NBA playoffs including the team’s first and only NBA championship in 2011. The 13-time All-Star and 12-time All-NBA player is one of the franchise’s most impactful player of all time.
I was lucky enough to watch Dirk play in real life and I was amazed by his grace and agility. At 7-0 and 245 pounds, I wouldn’t expect such a large man to float across the court with ease. Although I didn’t get to see his record breaking career points, I’ll always be a fan of his. While athletic greatness comes and goes, Dirk will always have a permanent place in NBA history.
