Dirk Nowitzki’s historic numbers add up to slam-dunk Hall of Famer

Dirk Nowitzki has built his Hall of Fame career on shooting so it’s no surprise that his name is all over the NBA’s all-time scoring record book. But he also turned himself into an excellent defensive rebounder and his playoff exploits are some of the greatest moments in Dallas-Fort Worth sports history.

As North Texas steels itself for Nowitzki’s final game at American Airlines Center Tuesday night, we offer a refresher on why he’s so highly-regarded across the NBA and such a beloved icon to Mavs fans.

Here’s a look at some of Nowitzki’s historic numbers, including key moments in his 21-year career that helped make him one of the all-time greats in NBA history.

31,508

Only five players in NBA history have scored more points that Nowitzki, who passed Wilt Chamberlain last month into sixth all-time with 31,508 (and counting). He’ll finish his career 6th all-time and one of only seven members of the 30,000-point club.

10,004

Dirk wasn’t just a scorer. His 10,004 defensive rebounds are fifth all-time. He’s just the fifth player in NBA history to grab at least 10,000 defensive boards. He moved ahead of Elgin Baylor into 26th place all-time in total rebounds with 11,481.

1,522

If Nowitzki plays in the final two games this season (and why wouldn’t he?), it’ll give him 1,522 games played in his career. No matter what, he’ll retire as third all-time in games played behind Robert Parish (1,611) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,560).

51,303

Only two players have spent more time on an NBA court than Nowitzki. He’ll finish third all-time behind Hall of Famers Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone in minutes played. Only six players have played at lead 50,000, including former teammate Jason Kidd.

11,150

Five of the seven players ahead of Nowitzki on the list of all-time made field goals are in the Hall of Fame. The two that aren’t? LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who will go in on the first ballot.

1,973

His 1,973 3-pointers are 12th all-time. With six more in his final two games, he would pass Joe Johnson for 11th place and tail Kidd, who finished with 1,988. Nowitzki’s 5,190 3-point attempts are 13th all-time.

2

In his first game on Feb. 5, 1999, at Seattle, he scored two points on 0 for 5 shooting, including 0 for 1 from the 3-point arc. He had two free throws, four assists and had no rebounds, steals or turnovers in the Mavs’ loss.

16

In his second-career game, on Feb. 7, 1999, at Golden State, Nowitzki flashed what he’d eventually become. He scored 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting, including 2 of 4 on 3s. He also had a team-high 12 rebounds and added three assists in his first-career Mavs’ win.

25.3

His 25.26 points a game in 145 playoff games is the 14th highest scoring average in league history.

145

He’s tied for 43rd all-time with 145 playoff games played. The two players he’s tied with? Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon.

305

In 21 seasons, Nowitzki collected 305 games with 30 or more points during the regular season.

21

Dirk has scored at least 40 points 21 times during the regular season, including two 50-point games.

14

He’s tied for the third-most points in an overtime period when he scored 14 in 115-114 OT win over the Bulls on Feb. 7, 2009. Nowitzki had 44 points on 16 of 34 shooting, including 5 of 7 in overtime.

14

His 14 all-star game appearances, including as an honorary Western Conference all-star in February, are tied for eighth most. He’s tied with Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Jerry West, so not bad company.

29

His first 20-point game came at Phoenix on April 16, 1999. It was his 36th game in the league. He was 10 of 16 from the field. He added two more 20-point games the final 11 games of the season.

31

Dirk’s first 30-point game came on Nov. 27, 1999, at Houston. He went 12 of 19, including 2 of 5 from the arc.

40

His first 40-point game came in Atlant on Jan. 15, 2002, when he made 12 of 22 shot, including 6 of 15 from the arc. He also made 11 of 13 free throws and grabbed 11 rebounds. His six 3s were personal high to that point.

8

On Jan. 27, 2004, in Seattle, Nowitzki scored 43 points while going 8 of 11 from the arc. The eight 3s are a career-high.

53

His highest-scoring night came against the Rockets in Dallas on Dec. 2, 2004. He was 15 of 32 from the field, including 2 of 5 from the arc and made 21 of 22 free throws and had 16 rebounds. He also had games of 51

6

Player of the Month awards, including two in the 2004-05 season.

255

The estimated total compensation ($255 million) from the Dallas Mavericks during his playing career.

Points piled up

A look at Dirk Nowitzki’s big-scoring games during his 21 regular seasons:

This story was originally published April 8, 2019 at 1:43 AM.

Stefan Stevenson

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Stefan Stevenson was a sports writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram from 1997 to 2022. He covered TCU athletics, the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys.