Dirk Nowitzki’s 30,000th Point Looked Eerily Similar To His 20,000th


Getty Image

Dirk Nowitzki reached 30,000 career points on Tuesday night against the Lakers, making him the sixth player in NBA history to do so. Nowitzki’s accomplishment put him with the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant on the short-list of the NBA’s best scorers.

Nowitzki’s moment was showered with praise from the Internet as well as Steve Nash and LeBron James, who was very excited that he got to watch the moment live at home. While most were celebrating the moment, as Nowitzki joined a legendary group and reached the historic 30,000 point milestone (the first European player ever to do so), one fan realized he felt he’d seen this exact moment happen before.

That’s because Nowitzki’s shot for 30,000 looked almost exactly like his shot for 20,000, right down to him sinking the shot over the outstretched arms of No. 7 for the Lakers (in 2017, Larry Nance Jr. while in 2010 it was Lamar Odom).

It’s fitting that both of Nowitzki’s milestone shot came on his patented fadeaway, but it’s so strange to see the striking similarity between the 30,000th and 20,000th point including the opponent. If the Mavs tagline is “Dirk Forever” then this is an exceptional message, because while other teams change and new players occupy old numbers, Nowitzki remains the constant for the Mavs and the NBA. The No. 41 in Dallas hasn’t changed, and neither has his sweet stroke as he proved on Tuesday night.

×