Dirk Werner Nowitzki is a German professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. An alumnus of Röntgen Gymnasium and the DJK Würzburg basketball club, Nowitzki was chosen as the ninth pick in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and immediately traded to the Mavericks, where he has played since. A 7 ft 0 in power forward, he has the athleticism and shooting ability to play either center or small forward. He is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.
Nowitzki led the Mavericks to 12 consecutive NBA Playoffs, including the franchise's first Finals appearance in 2006 and only championship in 2011. He is a 12-time All-Star, a 12-time All-NBA Team member, and the first European player to start in an All-Star Game as well as the first to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He is the first Maverick voted onto an All-NBA Team and holds several all-time Mavericks franchise records. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Nowitzki are the only players to achieve four consecutive 30-point, 15-rebound post-season games. Nowitzki is ranked 12th in all-time scoring and he is the only player in NBA-history to manage four-digit values in rebounds, blocks, steals, assists and 3-pointers. Besides him, only Rasheed Wallace achieved over 100 blocks and 150 3-pointers in a single season. Nowitzki is the only seven-footer to win the NBA Three-Point Shootout.
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