Dwane Casey Calls Dirk Nowitzki Greatest Non-American Player Ever

Ex-Mavericks assistant and Head Coach of the Toronto Raptors, Dwane Casey, calls Dirk Nowitzki the greatest non-American born player that has played in the NBA.

After being in the league for over 10 years as an assistant coach and head coach, Dwane Casey found himself joining Rick Carlisle’s staff in Dallas as an assistant coach for the 2008-09 season.

In his third season as an assistant, Casey would prove a vital part of the coaching staff that helped lead the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA Championship. After the 2011 title in Dallas, Casey went on to become the head coach of the Toronto Raptors.

In Toronto, Casey has led the Raptors to 48+ wins in four of his six seasons and is well on his way to another in the 2017-18 season.

With Casey and the Raptors making their way to Dallas to face the Mavericks, it was a time for Casey to reflect on the greatness of Dirk Nowitzki.

Casey might have some bias because of his relationship with Nowitzki in Dallas, but he does have a point. Looking back through history, there aren’t too many players that could even be in the conversation.

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A couple of Spurs would definitely be in the top 10 conversation in Manu Ginobili (Argentina) and Tony Parker (France), but they simply don’t have the complete statistical resume to be at the top.

Patrick Ewing (Jamaica), Steve Nash (Canada) and Dikembe Mutumbo (Congo) all have the Hall of Fame careers and stats, but lack the championship ring to put them in that top category.

Then it comes down to a top three and I have Pau Gasol (Spain) at the third spot.

2x Champion. 4x All-Star. Rookie of the Year and his accomplishments are still going as he plays.

The top two spots center around Dirk Nowitzki and Hakeem Olajuwun.

Both have Hall of Fame careers with titles under their belts. Dirk is still climbing up the all time scoring list (currently at six, but could move to five before it is over) but Olajuwun was the superior defender by far.

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No matter where you fall on the argument, Dwane Casey wants you to know he believes Dirk takes that crown.