Dirk Nowitzki receiving a lot more attention since scoring 30,000 points

DALLAS – Dirk Nowitzki has been receiving a lot of attention lately since the Dallas Mavericks’ superstar forward scored his 30,000th career point during a Mar. 7 win against the Los Angeles Lakers.

And following the team-high 23 points Nowitzki tallied during Sunday’s 111-104 road win in Brooklyn, Carlisle took time to heap praise upon the 19-year veteran.

"Again, it’s one of the most amazing sports careers I’ve ever seen from up close or afar,’’ Carlisle said. "At age 38 – almost 39 – to continue to play at this level is so challenging.

"There’s so much skill work, there’s so much body work, there’s a mental grind to it, because people are still trying to beat him up when he goes out there. It’s great to see that he’s getting a lot of attention now – probably more than he has in recent years – and this is necessary to highlight what’s really an amazing, amazing NBA career."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Nowitzki are the only players in NBA history to score at least 30,000 points during their career.

This story was originally published March 20, 2017 at 10:15 PM with the headline "Dirk Nowitzki receiving a lot more attention since scoring 30,000 points."