Dirk Nowitzki All-Time Foreign-Born NBA Scoring Leader

By Cory Buck | Nov 12, 2014

Nov 11, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki passed former Houston Rockets forward Hakeem Olajuwon as the highest scoring foreign-born player in NBA history.

Dirk Nowitzki had a pretty great Tuesday night. He led the Dallas Mavericks to an improbable 24-point comeback over the Sacramento Kings, leading the team in scoring with 23 points. Even more impressively though, those 23 points helped make Dirk the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history, surpassing the great Hakeem Olajuwon.

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“You know to pass `The Dream’ is unbelievable,” Nowtizki said, per ESPN. “He was unguardable on the block. His footwork, his skill level, his hands, his touch was second to none, so I’m pretty proud.”

A 3-point shot early in the fourth quarter sealed the record for Dirk, but he could hardly stop to celebrate as the Mavs were in the process of wiping out an early Sacramento lead en route to a 106-98 win. Dirk’s final line of 23 points put him at 26,953 for his career, seven more than The Dream.

The Kings came out in a hurry, posting a 32-14 lead after the first quarter and stretching that lead as high as 24 before the Mavericks turned things around with Dirk at the head of the charge.

The Mavericks outscored the Kings 58-28 from the middle of the second quarter to the end of the third. The win was the third-biggest comeback in Dallas Mavericks history.

You can watch a video compilation of Dirk Nowitzki’s scoring milestones below.

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