We must enjoy Dirk Nowitzki while we still can. The sweet-shooting German is 38 now, and the end of his career is just over the horizon. Our opportunities to watch one of the best players of his generation are growing slim. The Dallas Mavericks recognize this, which is why they are always trying to do whatever they can to get Nowitzki one more ring. Well, they’re trying to get a ring regardless, as all teams are, but it’ll be bittersweet if Dirk can’t play in a big game late in May again before he retires.
This montage of fadeaway jumpers from this past season proves there’s still a lot of amazing left in the greatest NBA import of all time.
You know the shot we’re talking about. Nowitzki has made the fadeaway jumper his go-to shot for years. Usually, he does it while turning around. Often, he does it off one foot; his peers know, even those superstars who challenged him for titles before retiring.
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It’s simple and it’s beautiful and it’s everything we love about Dirk in one shot.
Though he is no longer a spring chicken, that jumper is still as silky as ever. Nowitzki made 76 of them last season, and he will make some more this season. We should take a moment to cherish each one before he spins for his very last fadeaway jumper. There will only ever be one Dirk, and there will only ever be one one-legged fadeaway jumper as unstoppable as Nowitzki’s.
