40 moments to celebrate Dirk Nowitzki’s 40th birthday

On the day that Dirk Nowitzki celebrates his 40th birthday, we take a look back at 40 of the best moments Dirk gave Mavericks fans around the world.

In no particular order these moments range from on-court achievements to Dirk’s best jabs on Twitter, and everything in between.

1. 1998 Nike Hoops Summit

Before Dirk Nowitzki put on a Dallas Mavericks jersey, he first garnered attention for his performance in the 1998 Nike Hoops Summit that pitted the best-of-the-best against each other in a USA vs. World format. In a game that featured Al Harrington and Rashard Lewis, Nowitzki became the starring attraction. Finishing with 33 points and 14 rebounds, Nowitzki also won the game’s MVP award.

2. Draft-night trade that started it all

Ah yes, the moment that Nowitzki’s journey began with Dallas. Of course we all know by now that although the Milwaukee Bucks drafted him at No. 9 he was eventually traded to the Dallas Mavericks during the 1998 NBA Draft. Not only was this a soon-to-be huge milestone for the Mavericks, but Dallas also managed to pull off a trade to secure Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns. What a historic year for the franchise.

3. Second game of career

Although Nowitzki’s first game wasn’t exactly memorable, scoring only two points in 16 minutes, both of which were free throws. It was Dirk’s second game of the 1999 season that showed Mavericks fans what he could be. Scoring 16 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and shooting a phenomenal 60 percent from the field, Nowitzki led Dallas to his first career win.

4. Dirk & Steve Nash

It goes without saying that the trio of Dirk, Steve Nash and Michael Finley was a historic one for the Mavericks, but the chemistry between Dirk and Nash that developed on the court is arguably one of the best tandems in NBA history. Although the two never won a championship together, the stretch between the 2000/2001 season to the 2003/2004 season created a lot of memorable moments for Mavs fans everywhere.

5. Dunk over Vince Carter

Okay, so he didn’t completely posterize Vinsanity, but look at that footwork. The spin to shake Carter off and attack the rim with a rim-rattling dunk is an impressive move even for a young Nowitzki. Based on this dunk alone Dirk most definitely should’ve been a dunk contest contestant at some point in his career right?

Next: Dirk's greatest moments: 6-10

6. First 40-point game vs. Spurs in 2001

On May 14, 2001 Dirk Nowitzki garnered his first 40-point game in his career, and who better to hang 42 points on than the San Antonio Spurs. Sure the Mavericks lost to the Spurs 105-87, but Nowitzki’s line for that game is insane. On top of scoring 42 points, Dirk ended with 18 rebounds, six steals and two assists. That was the first of 27 40+ games for Dirk, and although it was in a loss it was still an important milestone in his career.

7. First All-Star appearance

With only three years of experience in the league, Dirk made the NBA All-Star team during the ’01-’02 season. In 24 minutes Nowitzki put up 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists off the bench to help the West beat the East. Although it wasn’t an All-Star Game MVP worthy performance, this marked the beginning of an 11-year streak of Dirk being part of the All-Star festivities. Which also meant that it gave Mavericks fans an extra incentive to watch the game.

8. 53-point game vs. Rockets in 2004

Speaking of 40+ games, remember when Dirk dropped 53 on the other in-state rivals? It pitted Dirk against Tracy McGrady and the Rockets, and it did not disappoint. McGrady ended the game with 48 points, but it was Nowitzki who had the final word with a three-pointer to cap a 53-point performance in an overtime win.

9. 3-point contest champion

Nowitzki participated in the Three-Point Shootout three times over his career, but only came away with the hardware in 2006. Dirk beat out Gilbert Arenas and Ray Allen to capture the title, making 18 in the final round. Previously Dirk competed in the three-point contest in 2000 and 2001, but was unable to beat out the field. This one was special not only because of his win, but because it was the season that Dallas made it to the Finals on the back of Nowitzki’s performance all season long.

10. 50-point game vs. Suns in 2006 playoffs

Word to the wise: don’t taunt Dirk Nowitzki. During Game 5 of the 2006 Western Conference Finals Suns forward Tim Thomas blew a kiss to Nowitzki in a taunting manner. Dirk’s response? Lighting up the Suns’ defense for 50 points for the win, and giving Dallas a 3-2 lead in the series. Going 5-of-6 from three-point range Nowitzki eventually carried the Mavericks to the 2006 Finals after beating the Suns.

Next: Dirk's greatest moments: 11-15

11. MVP season

When Dirk won the NBA MVP award in 2007 it was finally validation for Mavericks fans. Everyone around the league was finally recognizing what all of us already knew: Dirk was a superstar. During his MVP season Nowitzki averaged 24.6 points per game, 8.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Not to mention an even greater accomplishment that is likely the reason he won the award, but more on that below.

12. 50-40-90 club

The prestigious 50-40-90 club. Nowitzki managed to average 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line throughout the 2006-07 season in which he won MVP. The accomplishment alone is something only five other NBA players have accomplished, but for a seven footer to do? That’s historic.

13. First-career triple-double vs. Bucks

It isn’t everyday that seven-footers walk around getting triple-doubles, and it was a rare occurrence for even Dirk. In February of 2008 Nowitzki recorded his first-career triple double, with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. It’s hard to believe that it took him 10 years to get this milestone, but nevertheless watching Nowitzki getting his teammates involved and crashing the boards will never get old.

14. Triple-double vs. Nuggets in 2010

Two years later Dirk got his second triple double, and this one may be the more memorable one simply for the fact that Nowitzki put on a shooting clinic from beyond the arc, and well from everywhere else on the court. Finishing with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists Dirk shot 80 percent from beyond the arc, and 41.2 percent from the field.

15. Championship playoffs run

In 2011 when the Mavericks won their first NBA championship not only was it a historic moment for the franchise, it was a monumental moment for Dirk. Until this point many thought that Nowitzki would be added to the long list of NBA greats who never captured a ring.

After losing the 2006 NBA title many thought Dirk wouldn’t get another chance to check this box on his resume, but of course they were wrong.

The Mavericks weren’t favored in any series in their title run. Dirk averaged 27.3 points in the first round against Portland. In the second round, the Mavericks swept the Lakers with Nowitzki averaging 25.3 points in the series. After reaching the Western Conference Finals for only the fourth time in franchise history, it was clear that Dirk was on a mission.

Next: Dirk's greatest moments: 16-20

16. Western Conference Finals 48-point game

It was Game 1 of the WCF and the Oklahoma City Thunder were the young, new kids everyone was excited about. Dirk quickly shot down that excitement by putting up 48 points in the first game. Talk about setting the tone. Kevin Durant put up 40, but it was Dirk and the Mavs who walked away with the win, and the clear advantage in the series. On the back of Nowitzki’s 32.2 points per game, the Mavericks made quick work of the Thunder in a five-game gentleman’s sweep.

17. Dirk’s flu game

Where were you when Dirk Nowitzki played with a fever of 102 degrees? You know, the game where, despite fighting a cold, he still managed to contribute 21 points in Game 4 of the 2011 Finals. The game where the rest of the Mavericks team picked Dirk up to win the game for him and keep the Mavs’ title chances alive. It took everything Dirk had to muster up enough energy to help Dallas in the fourth quarter and tie the series at two games apiece.

18. Response to Dwyane Wade & LeBron James mocking him

Again, don’t taunt Dirk Nowitzki. Following Game 4 of the Finals, LeBron and Dwyane Wade decided to poke fun at Dirk being sick. Dirk responded by dropping 29 points in Game 5, giving the Mavericks a 3-2 lead in the series. In the post-game press conference Nowitzki gave perhaps the greatest response to the two Heat superstars mocking him:

"“I just thought it was a little childish, little ignorant. I’ve been in this league 13 years I’ve never faked injury or an illness before. It’s not gonna add anything extra to me, this is the NBA Finals if you need extra motivation you have a problem.”"

19. Game-winning shot over Chris Bosh

Let’s take it back to a bit earlier in the series to Game 2 of the Finals. The Heat were up 1-0 in the series, and Dallas had a chance to tie it up before heading back to the AAC. In vintage Dirk fashion, down two points with 12 seconds left, Nowitzki went to work. Getting the ball at the three-point line Dirk backed-down Chris Bosh, spun to his left, drove to the basket and laid the ball in giving the Mavericks a 95-93 win.

20. Dirk & Holger

There would be no Dirk Nowitzki without Holger Geschwinder. It’s well known throughout the Mavs organization and perhaps the league who helped Dirk become the future Hall of Famer he is today. There’s countless footage of the unorthodox shooting exercises Geschwinder puts Nowitzki through, and after 20 years in the league the regimen is still the same.

Holger flies out to Dallas a few times throughout the season to put Dirk through his paces, and has even helped out fellow Mavericks along the way. If it weren’t for Holger training Dirk from a young age in Germany, he may have never played for the Dallas Mavericks.

Next: Dirk's greatest moments: 21-25

21. Championship celebration

Just as he should, Dirk celebrated like an all-time great after winning the 2011 championship. Filled with many cigars, champagne and many, many renditions of “We are the Champions.” Perhaps one of the greatest moments throughout his championship world tour was when he visited his hometown of Würzburg, Germany to celebrate with more than 15,000 fellow Germans.

22. “We are the Champions” rendition

Speaking of renditions. Dirk’s rendition of “We are the Champions” at the championship rally in Dallas was so memorable that former President Barack Obama poked fun at it during the Mavericks’ visit to the White House the following season. What do you expect from a first-time champion who has been the face of a franchise for his entire career?

23. ESPYs skit

Being an NBA champion comes with loads of perks, and although some may see this as disrespectful, being the centerpiece of a Saturday Night Live-style sketch is definitely a perk.

During the 2011 ESPYs host Seth Meyers showed a video for a fake camp named, “Dirk Nowitzki’s Academy for Awkward Basketball.” It poked fun at Nowitzki’s signature jumpshot, his hairstyles and overall German-ness. Of course it was endorsed by Nowitzki himself by making a cameo appearance in the end.

24. “Shut it down!”

Dirk may have started the 2012 NBA season on the injured list, but that didn’t stop him from being the comic relief for what would eventually be the beginning of some disappointing Mavericks seasons.

During the first game of the season, Dirk joined the Fox Sports crew to chat about the title run and essentially provide some colorful commentary. He didn’t disappoint. Dirk lost his mind when Jason Terry threw an alley-oop to Brandan Wright for the dunk. Proclaiming, “Shut it down! Let’s go home!” It’s still the best called game I’ve ever heard.

25. 2013 beard season

The 2012-2013 season was a rough one, and during a stretch of games in the season Dirk, as well as other members of the Mavericks, decided to make a pact: until the team got to .500, everyone would grow out their facial hair.

As evidenced from the photo above, getting back to even took quite awhile for the Mavericks. In fact, it wasn’t until the final game of the season that the Mavs finished with a 41-41 record. Despite the shortcomings that the ’12-’13 season produced, at least we got to see Dirk with this insanely caveman-esque beard.

Next: Dirk's greatest moments: 26-30

26. Conan interview

During an appearance on Conan O’Brien’s late-night talk show in 2014, Dirk showed just how hard he reps for the state of Texas. Nowitzki gave O’Brien a Texas Citizenship Test that was filled with questions ranging from who the mayor of Texas is, to correctly naming which Texas team various athletes belonged to. However, the greatest moment came when Dirk asked Conan what his nickname is, which resulted in Nowitzki rattling off several moniker’s like “The Seven-Foot Schnitzel,” “The Berlin Tall” and “Dunkenmeister.”

27. Dirk’s documentary

In 2014 Mavericks fans everywhere rejoiced when it was announced that Dirk Nowitzki was going to get a documentary about his story from awkward, tall German kid, to NBA superstar. Released originally in Germany, the movie was available to stream on iTunes and Netflix shortly after.

Featuring well-known tidbits about Dirk’s rise to fame, to unknown pieces about his childhood and his first few years in the league, several NBA players spoke to Nowitzki’s greatness. From Steve Nash to Kobe Bryant, it was just another testament to how appreciated Dirk is in the basketball community.

28. Game-winner vs. Knicks

Although the post-championship seasons haven’t provided a lot of great highlights, one area that has always been consistent is the clutch play-making ability of Nowitzki. In a tight game against the New York Knicks in 2014, Dirk was faced with another opportunity to put the team on his back and carry them to a win. With 10 seconds left Nowitzki, guarded by Carmelo Anthony, got to his spot at the top of the key, took one dribble and faded away for the game-winning shot. Even at age 35 Dirk showed he still had it.

29. 2015 All-Star dunk

Speaking of still having it, although Dirk made the All-Star game 12 times throughout his career, his appearance in 2015 will always be memorable because it may be his last. As one of the oldest members on the Western Conference All-Star team, Nowitzki graciously allowed the younger guys take control of the game. However, Dirk may have had the best highlight of the night.

On a fast break in the second quarter of the game, Stephen Curry threw the ball up towards the rim, possibly forgetting Nowitzki would be on the receiving end of it, and to everyone’s surprise Dirk came down with the rare dunk. The whole bench went crazy, and Dirk acted like he does it all the time.

30. 40-points vs. Portland

The last 40-point game Dirk had happened two years ago against Portland in 2016. Shooting a hyper-efficient 61.5 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point range, Nowitzki showed once again that regardless of how old he gets he’s still good to drop 40 on any given night. Even though it’s only been two years, Dirk may be overdue for another lights-out performance.

Next: Dirk's greatest moments: 31-35

31. Game-winner vs. Lakers

This game-winner is so memorable because not only was it against the Lakers, but despite Kobe Bryant being out for the game he still showed respect for Nowitzki after drilling the fade-away jumper right in front of him. Talk about game recognizing game. Dirk knocked down the jumper, turned around to see Kobe and the two exchanged friendly gestures. Afterward, Bryant mouthed to his teammates, “every time.” At least Kobe knows that Dirk is automatic.

32. Teammate of the Year award

We all know how great of a teammate Dirk has been over the years, but he was finally recognized on a larger scale in 2017 when he won the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award at the NBA Awards Show. Presented by former teammate Vince Carter, Dirk had to sneak in a joke by saying, “I’m pretty sure none of my teammates voted for me.” All jokes aside, as an award voted on by players this shows just how great it must be to play with an all-time great like Dirk.

33. 30K

On March 7, 2017 Dirk hit a milestone that only six others have done in NBA history. On his signature jumper Nowitzki hit his 30,000th bucket in his career. Currently Dirk sits sixth all-time in points scored in NBA history, and is only 223 points away from passing Wilt Chamberlain for the No. 5 spot.

In the historic 30K game, Nowitzki finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds in a win over the Lakers. With another season guaranteed by Dirk, it’ll be exciting to see how many more points he still has left in him.

34. Loyalty to the Mavericks

It goes without saying that loyalty in professional sports is a thing of the past, and finding players who will stay with one franchise through the ups and downs is rare today. With that being said, the loyalty that Dirk Nowitzki showed to the Mavericks organization and MFFL’s everywhere is unparalleled. There were countless number of times Dirk could have joined another team to chase a title, especially after losing in 2006, but he didn’t.

Winning a title in Dallas with the only team he’s ever known was more important to him than joining another team with other superstars. Even after winning the title, when the Mavericks could have built on the momentum from 2011, Dirk stayed loyal to Dallas.

35. Paycuts

Not only was Nowitzki loyal to the Mavericks in terms of never leaving, financially Dirk always showed great generosity to Dallas. He could’ve asked for max contracts, and been the highest-paid player on the team, but the Mavericks’ financial future was more important to him than taking up most of the space on the payroll.

Currently there’s four players on the Mavs’ roster that are making more than Dirk’s $5 million contract, but he doesn’t care. Dirk epitomizes what it means to be an unselfish superstar.

Next: Dirk's greatest moments: 36-40

36. Dirk’s Heroes Celebrity baseball game

For the past seven years Dirk Nowitzki has hosted a charity baseball game in Texas for the Heroes Foundation, a non-profit that helps adults and children with disabilities play sports. Every year some of the biggest names in professional sports join Dirk for this annual affair, and every year a huge crowd turns out.

Despite being hurt after having ankle surgery, Dirk still made an appearance in this year’s game, showing just how much this event means to him. Past and present players from the Dallas Cowboys always show up, as well as fellow Mavericks’ teammates. The out-pour of support from the community displays how beloved Dirk is in Dallas.

37. Like Mike cameo

Remember when Dirk had the funniest moment in Like Mike in 2002? Featuring Michael Finley and Steve Nash along with him, Dirk asks for an autograph for his niece from Bow Wow’s character. Only when Bow Wow asks what her name is Nowitzki replies, “uh, Dirk.” Definitely a scene-stealing moment in the movie.

38. Mid-game presentations

For those of you who have been able to watch Dirk play in-person inside of the AAC, you might recall those silly in-game presentations that most teams around the league do. It basically consists of dressing Dirk up in some sort of costume and making him read ridiculous lines, or sometimes even having him rap. Not every team can get their superstar to act like a fool on camera to air in the middle of a game at any moments notice.

39. Twitter jabs

If you don’t already follow Nowitzki on Twitter I suggest you do. When he’s not talking about soccer, Nowitzki is often cracking jokes at his teammates’, both past and present, expense. Here are just a few gems.

40. Returning for season No. 21

When Dirk signed a two-year $10 million deal in 2017, many thought he would hang it up after last season. That would have made him one of only two players, the other Kobe Bryant, to play 20 seasons with one team. My guess is he wants to break the record for season No. 21, but whatever the reason the fact that at age 40 Dirk will be entering his 21st season is something that Mavs fans have to appreciate.

As Dirk turns 40 today, June 19th, this was a chance to look back at 20 seasons of unforgettable memories both on an off the court that he provided to Mavericks fans everywhere.