Dirk Nowitzki, the former MVP power forward for the Dallas Mavericks, paved the way for international players in the NBA, marking the beginning of a new era in professional basketball. His stellar career has opened up opportunities for a wave of overseas talents who are now thriving in the league.
Today, the NBA is filled with international stars, with three of the most recent MVP award winners coming from abroad: Nikola Jokic from Serbia (who won three of the last four MVP titles), Joel Embiid from Cameroon, and Giannis Antetokounmpo from Greece. The last American-born MVP was James Harden in 2018, when he played for the Houston Rockets.
Nowitzki’s rise to superstardom coincided with the arrival of other future Hall of Famers like Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Yao Ming, all helping usher in a more globally diverse era in basketball.
Despite his legendary career, Nowitzki’s retirement experience was a bit bittersweet.
While attending the retirement celebration for former All-NBA guard Goran Dragic in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Nowitzki shared his feelings about his own retirement. “I think I missed the right time if you watched my last two years,” he said candidly. He reflected, “Mentally, I could have played another year to support Luka Doncic, but physically it was tough.”
Nowitzki, who clinched the MVP title in 2007 and led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2006 and 2011, boasts a remarkable 21-year career filled with accolades: 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selections, and an exceptional scoring ability that made him a unique player in the league’s history.
Throughout his career, he averaged 20.7 points per game with impressive shooting numbers (.471 field goal, .380 three-point, and .879 free throw percentages), alongside 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists over 1,522 regular season games. Unfortunately, during his last two seasons, his mobility declined significantly, resulting in averages of only 10.2 points and 4.7 rebounds.
Luka Doncic, who played alongside Nowitzki in his final season, has since propelled the Mavericks to new heights, leading them to the Western Conference Finals in 2022 and returning the team to the NBA Finals, a first since Nowitzki’s championship win in 2011.
It’s worth noting that time has flown; Jason Kidd, who was the starting point guard during the 2011 Championship, now serves as the Mavericks’ head coach.
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