Dirk Joins Elite 30K Club

Last night Dirk Nowitzki joined an elite group of basketball legends by becoming just the sixth player (first international member) in NBA history to score 30,000 career points after dropping a 25-spot (all in the first half) at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. In what's been a forgetful season for the Dallas Mavericks who currently sit nine games under .500 and 1 1/2 games out of the eight seed in the Western Conference standings, the Mavericks' all-time leading scorer and future Hall of Famer still gives Dallas fans something to cheer for while averaging nearly 14 points and 7 rebounds per game. It's something both the fans and Dirk have grown accustomed to as their relationship has now spanned 19 seasons and will likely reach 20 as the German native has expressed his plans to return next season. If his 20th season is spent in Dallas next year which it almost certainly will considering the family-like relationship between Nowitzki and Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Dirk will tie a record with Kobe Bryant for the most seasons with a single franchise throughout an entire career.

Entering Tuesday's game needing 20 points to reach the milestone, Dirk was well on his way to that mark after scoring 18-points in the opening quarter alone and getting his team off to a fast start. And the basket that would catapult Dirk into the 30,000 point club would be none other than a fadeaway jumper, only not of the one-footed variety he's become known for. After draining a three-pointer to eclipse the 30K mark, Dirk was mobbed by Cuban and his teammates while receiving a standing ovation from the Dallas crowd. It would be an emotional moment for all involved including Dirk's coach and mentor Holger Geschwindner who was in the building for the historic night. The 7-footer would finish the game with 25-points, all scored in the first half, in a 122-111 win against the Los Angeles Lakers. Out of the six players to reach the feat, Dirk becomes only the third to put up 30K with one team, Kobe and Karl Malone (Utah Jazz) the others. After a Draft day trade in 1998 that led Dirk to Dallas by way of a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, it's been quite a ride for the 13-time NBA All-Star and former Finals (2011) and league MVP (2007).

Despite not playing for one of the NBA's glamour franchises or even in a city not known for its basketball which comes secondary to the game of football in the state of Texas, Dirk helped bring the city of Dallas its only championship in the four major sports since the turn of the century. Dirk also stormed his way to greatness the way you're supposed to while also serving as a phenomenal ambassador to the game overseas. Not to mention he's as clean on and off the court as they come having done it for nearly 20 years without a single fuss as the soon to be 39-year old Nowitzki has never been linked to a single incident with the law, a rarity nowadays which makes him the perfect model athlete in this day and age and one we'll soon be celebrating in the Basketball Hall of Fame.


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