Dirk Nowitzki joins 30,000-point club (Video)

The 30,000-point club has its first international player. The mark was eclipsed by Dirk Nowitzki on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dirk Nowitzki is the greatest player in franchise history for the Dallas Mavericks. On Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers, he added another notch to his belt.

The 38-year-old is the sixth player to score at least 30,000 career points and he is the first international player to accomplish the feat. Nowitzki joins Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain on this illustrious list.

After using his patented fadeaway jumper to give him 30,000, Nowitzki scored again from the three-point line. This lead to a timeout, in which Mark Cuban and the entire Mavericks’ bench took to the floor to congratulate him.

While Harrison Barnes has assumed the role of primary scoring option, the future hall-of-famer proved he can still produce in this league. Even though Nowitzki is averaging 13.6 points per game, he plans to play one more season. That would mark 20 years in the league, also joining Bryant as the only players to play 20 seasons with one franchise.

Nowitzki is known for his dedication to the Mavericks. In order to have a roster that could compete, Nowitzki took less than the maximum contracts he deserved. Last summer, the team was able to repay him for the financial sacrifices he’s made over the past few offseasons.

The Mavericks signed Nowitzki to a two-year, $50 million contract. Loyalty and business are terms that sometimes don’t mix in the world of sports and entertainment. Even though the team couldn’t land a top free agent in the last four summers, Mark Cuban honored Nowitzki’s allegiance. His latest contract is proof that sometimes staying loyal to a franchise can have its benefits.

At the time of this post, Nowitzki has 25 points at halftime. Could he double that and score 50?