Dirk Nowitzki: From the beginning, to 30,000 points

Last night, Dirk Nowitzki joined the pantheon of all-time great NBA scorers by hitting, what else, his patented one-legged fadeaway for his 30,000th NBA point.

Nowitzki didn’t need to eclipse the round number to solidify his spot as one of the NBA’s elite scorers or players, but it sure is nice to add your name to a list that only includes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.

For Nowitzki, it all started on Feb. 5, 1999 — his first NBA game for the still-cowboy hat wearing, still H. Ross Perot Jr. owned Dallas Mavericks. Nowitzki came to the Mavericks via a draft-day trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, sending Michigan big man Robert Traylor to the Bucks for the unknown, lanky, untested German with the unorthodox game.

On the same day, the Mavericks traded Pat Garrity to the Phoenix Suns for yet another unproven player, point guard Steve Nash. Eddie Sefko, then of the Houston Chronicle, gave the Mavericks draft-day transactions an F:

"“The Mavs had an infatuation with Dirk Nowitzki from the start, but they basically gave up the No. 6 pick and an almost-certain lottery pick next season to get Phoenix’s Steve Nash and the German big man. Europeans are such a risky bet, especially in the lottery. So many bust. So few bloom. And Nash is a gamble.”"

Whoops.

Nowitzki’s debut wasn’t great. He failed to make a shot from the field (0-5) but did score the first of his now 30,005 NBA points on free throw attempts. The first game of the new Mavericks regime didn’t look promising, Dallas was destroyed by the Seattle Supersonics and the team looked awful. The Mavericks leading scorer that night was Cedric Ceballos, who scored 16 off the bench. The only starter to reach double figures was rail-thin center Shawn Bradley. He had 11.

Just two nights later, though, Nowitzki and the Mavericks righted the ship. The team exploded for 102 points in a win over the Golden State Warriors. Nowitzki hit his first proper NBA shot and followed it with five more, scoring 16 points total. Nowitzki also grabbed 12 rebounds in this game, collecting the first of his now-403 career regular season double-doubles.

The Mavericks only won 19 games in Nowitzki’s debut season, one shortened by the NBA lockout. Despite ups and downs throughout the campaign, Nowitzki ended the season scoring in double figures eight of his last 12 games.

Nowitzki followed up his rookie season with an impressive sophomore season scoring 17.5 PPG and earning second place in the NBA Most Improved Player Award, behind Indiana Pacers Jalen Rose

It was around this time that my now 17-year connection to Dirk began. As a kid growing up in Chicago (I just turned 30 two weeks ago and I don’t want to talk about it), my childhood revolved around Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls dynasty. They were everything, appointment television, must-see TV. In a way though, they almost became boring and as 1997 and 1998 came and went, I started drifting away from the NBA. When the dynasty was broken up following the 1998 NBA Finals, I quit watching the NBA all-together. Pro wrestling and the NFL filled the void. I didn’t miss it either. The NBA I left was not the dynamic game I had first started watching in the early 90s. It had become a slog, a bore, often times a slugfest, teams scratching and clawing just to score 80 points!

On Christmas morning 2001, I opened my presents and found the gift I had been hoping and praying was under that dimly-lit fake tree: a Sega Dreamcast. I didn’t want just any old Sega Dreamcast though, no no, in the summer of 2000, Sega announced a brand-new “Sega Sports” Dreamcast. Not only would this special-edition Dreamcast come in a sleek, new black color (as opposed to the mundane gray decor of the original Dreamcast) but it would include two pack-in games: NFL 2k and NBA 2k. For me, all I cared about was NFL 2k. The game had received nothing but rave reviews and as a fan of Minnesota Vikings wide receiver and cover athlete Randy Moss, this is all I wanted. As I ripped open the package, I tossed NBA 2k to the side and played NFL 2k for what felt like days. One day, maybe I’d try the NBA game, but why? The NBA is boring. The Bulls suck. The games suck. All my favorites are either retired or no longer in the league. Why even bother?

As the weeks and months passed, I continued staring at that poor, lonely NBA 2k jewel case.

Allen Iverson, NBA 2k’s cover athlete, staring back at me, pressuring me to just take the leap. Try me out for a few minutes, if you don’t like it and want to go back to NFL for the rest of your life, it’s fine, but, c’mon, at least give it a try.

One night, when my middle school friend Seth came over, we decided to finally give this NBA 2k game a shot… why not?

As we were want to do in almost every sports video game, we agreed to face one another using the “random team rule.” In this rule, you would start by randomizing teams on the Team Select screen. You’d keep that team in mind and randomize again, you would now have two teams to choose from. You could once again randomize your team but this time, you’d be forced to select that third team. It was a huge risk if you went for the third team, but sometimes, like it did on that night, it would pay off big. I went for the random third team and ended up with the pathetically-ranked Dallas Mavericks. Dammit.

Minutes into the game, though, I realized I had made the right choice. I was instantly drawn to the odd dynamics of this Mavericks team. The speedy point guard Steve Nash, the high-flying dynamic shooting guard Michael Finley. The freakishly large Shawn Bradley. And this oddly tall but oddly skilled power forward, Dirk Nowitzki. I jokingly took a 3-pointer with the big man and it went in. I took a mid-range jumper and it went in. I drove the lane and scored. I could do it all with Nowitzki.

I ended up winning that game. I forgot who Seth played as but I know for a fact it was a better team than that year’s pathetic Mavericks.

The result didn’t matter though, I had to know more about Dirk. I had to soak up every bit of knowledge I could. I was hooked and I’d never looked back.

I started researching and reading everything I could on Nowitzki. When I finally saw Nowitzki play in an actual NBA game, I was absolutely blown away. This tall german (if the last name doesn’t give it away, I, too, am german) could do it all. He could dribble, he could shoot, he could drive, defense, well we won’t talk about that right now, but hey who cares about defense when you’re 12. I started taping any and all Mavericks games on TV then watching and rewatching them, pausing on Nowitzki possessions to see him masterfully break down the defense and score with ease.

I’d follow these marathon tape sessions by running outside to my neighbors driveway where he had a hoop set up, and trying to recreate Dirk’s shots: the head fakes, the long outstretched arms, the uneven feet, the step-back, one-footed fadeaway. Over and over I’d practice these moves. When I’d play with my friends or at the local YMCA, people always remarked that my game resembled that of Karl Malone. I would correct them immediately and say it was Nowitzki, which usually received laughs or questions of who the hell that was.

Undeterred I continued to study and pattern my game off with big man. Afterall, I was 6-foot in 8th grade, a giant among my peers. Who knows, maybe I’d be 7-feet-tall like Nowitzki one day. (Newsflash: I’m still 6-foot).

On that night, sitting in my basement playing NBA 2k, Dirk became my favorite player. Now in 2017, as Nowitzki’s career fades to black, he’s still my favorite.

I’ve seen Nowitzki and the Mavericks play in Chicago every single year since 2005. The friend who accompanies me to those games, Rob, I met passing in the hallways at my high school. We met, of course, because he was wearing a Dirk Nowitzki jersey to school and I just had to talk to this fellow fan. Once we found a mutual appreciation for Dirk, the rest was history. Every single year, without even discussing it ahead of time or clarifying dates or asking our wives, we know when the Mavericks come to town, Rob and I are going to the game.

Watching Nowitzki hit that signature fadeaway for his 30,000th point last night was equal parts rewarding and devastating.

The reward was knowing the years of following his career, defending my fandom to friends who thought Nowitzki was overrated, was more “Irk” than “Dirk” because of his lack of D, didn’t deserve the MVP award, couldn’t win the big game, etc., etc. was worth it. Nowitzki was an all-time great, a record-setting NBA legend and nobody could take that away from him.

However, it was devastating because as I saw his famed shooting coach Holger Geschwindner moved to tears and I saw Cuban, Finley and Mavericks dignitaries jumping for joy, the crowd erupting into a standing ovation and Dirk overcome with emotion—I realized the days of being able to watch Dirk walk onto that court are numbered.

I don’t know if this is the last season for Dirk or if he’s got a few more in him but now more than ever, that end is near. When Dirk finally puts pen to paper and retires from the NBA, a large part of me, my fandom, the way I play basketball, my approach to the game, my love of NBA history, my desire to co-host an NBA podcast, my drive to write this very article, will be lost too. I’ll always be a fan of the NBA, but that moment when your favorite player retires marks an end to a certain type of NBA fandom and a certain type of childhood-like joy that comes from watching the NBA.

Next: Wait, are the Miami Heat actually good?

There’s still time, so instead of sulk over the impending end, I’ll celebrate the present. Dirk Nowitzki joined the 30,000 point club and everything, for now at least, is great.