Dallas Mavericks: The 41 greatest moments of Dirk Nowitzki’s career

DALLAS, TX – JUNE 16: Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks signs special edition “Champions” basketballs during the Mavericks NBA Champion Victory Parade on June 16, 2011 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2011 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Dallas Mavericks have officially played their last game with Dirk Nowitzki on the court. In honor of the greatest Mavs player of all time, here are the 41 best moments from his amazing career.

Dirk Nowitzki is the most amazing talent that has ever donned a Dallas Mavericks jersey. When he announced his plans to retire at the final home game of his career, my heart sank just a little. Not because I didn’t see it coming, but because it finally hit home.

Dirk has done some pretty amazing things in his career and in his life, so this post is to celebrate those 41 moments that have really defined Dirk as a basketball player, a Dallas Maverick and a human being.

41. The press conference fly

Let’s kick it off with a fun, lighthearted one. During the 2006 NBA Finals, the players have regular press conferences with the media. On this particular occasion, Dirk was answering a question from a media member when a fly decided to cross his path and stop on the table in front of him. This would prove to be detrimental for said fly.

40. Appearance on Conan

Dirk has never really been one to go on television and expand his publicity in any way, but he has made the occasional stop on some of the late night shows. One in particular that has stuck out was the time Dirk went on with Conan in 2014 to give Conan O’Brien a surprise “Texas Citizenship Test”. Conan scored well, but did need some help from the Big German.

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39. Dirk at the parade

Nowitzki is a man of many talents. He is an amazing basketball player and a skilled tennis player, he plays the guitar and has great communication skills. To go along with his many talents, Dirk does have some weaknesses. One of those weaknesses happens to be his ability to impersonate Queen’s Freddie Mercury.

38. 51 points in regulation vs. Warriors, 2006

Dirk has had a couple games in which he has eclipsed 50 total points. The only time he has ever dropped over 50 in regulation for a regular season game, however, came in 2006 against soon to be Mavs enemy, the Golden State Warriors. He shot 16-24 from the field, including 3-4 from three point. He also finished with 9 rebounds and 5 assists.

37. Big game against Celtics in 2002

Unfortunately, I was unable to find any video from this incredible game from Dirk Nowitzki, so let’s go through the stats. This was maybe Dirk’s best double-double performance of his career. He scored 33 points to go along with an impressive 23 rebounds. He also dished out 8 assists, blocked 4 shots and grabbed one steal in 45 minutes. The Mavs ended up beating the Celtics by 6.

36. 50 points against Suns in playoffs

While we are talking about big games from Dirk, why not bring up his highest scoring playoff game ever. On June 1, 2006, the Dallas Mavericks were playing the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals. The series was tied 2-2 and this crucial game 5 was set to sway the series in a big way. Dirk understood that and came out swinging, dropping 50 on 14-26 shooting, along with 12 rebounds and 3 assists. The Mavs won the game by 16 and took the series in 6.

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