This week's Dallas Sports History feature looks back at the iconic accomplishments of Dallas' beloved athlete, a fitting theme given the unveiling of the Mike Modano statue outside the American Airlines Center this past weekend.
Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki has his first statue installed at PNC Plaza outside the arena. And this week in 2019, the face of the Mavericks franchise passed Basketball Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain for sixth place in NBA history. He scored his 31,420th point early in an overtime loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, tying him on the career scoring list.
“It's amazing,” Nowitzki told the media after the game. “Obviously, it's been a long season. I knew the year before that I was at about 200 points, but at the time I was like, 'I can't do this anymore.' That's how the season went.” It is very slow to recover. ”
“But the last few weeks,” he continued. “I felt better and played better. Obviously the team kept looking for me and kept telling me to shoot. I'm glad it's over.”
Although the Mavericks suffered a slump with Nowitzki hit by an injury and the team finished with a 33-49 record, good for second-last in the Western Conference, the veteran gave fans one last memorable moment at American Stadium. provided. Airlines Center, where he passed the legendary Chamberlain on the second shot of the match.
“The other night I couldn't buy one down the stretch, so I'm just glad I made the first two shots,” Nowitzki added.
Nowitzki retired after the season, finishing his career sixth on the all-time scoring list with 31,560 points. He was 732 points behind the great Michael Jordan in fifth place.
The team unveiled a statue of Dirk in December 2022, depicting the German big man wearing his iconic fade-away jumper. Nowitzki was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in August after a 21-year career with Dallas that included the franchise's only NBA championship.
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