Sports
Dirk Nowitzki
German-born Dirk Nowitzki spent a record 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, winning the 2007 MVP and leading Dallas to its first NBA championship in 2011.
- Roster rank
- #119
- Category
- Sports
- Subject type
- Person
- Profile source
- Published Texas Icons profile
Texas story
Life and career
Dirk Nowitzki was born in Würzburg, Germany, in 1978 and entered the NBA in 1998. His Texas identity is entirely professional but unusually deep: all 21 seasons of his NBA career were spent with the Dallas Mavericks, a league record for seasons with one franchise when he retired.
Nowitzki won the 2007 regular-season MVP and led Dallas to the franchise's first NBA championship in 2011, earning Finals MVP. He retired with 31,560 regular-season points and entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
Defining work
What to know
- 21 seasons with Dallas
- 31,560 NBA points
- 2007 NBA MVP
- 2011 NBA championship
- 2011 Finals MVP
Timeline
Key milestones
- 1978Born in Würzburg, Germany.
- 1998Begins his Dallas Mavericks career after entering the NBA from Germany.
- 2007Wins NBA Most Valuable Player honors.
- 2011Leads Dallas to the franchise's first NBA championship and wins Finals MVP.
- 2019Retires after a record 21 NBA seasons with the same franchise.
- 2023Is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Texas connections
Places in the story
Dallas
Home of all 21 NBA seasons, the 2007 MVP campaign and the Mavericks' first championship in 2011.
Legacy
Why the story lasts
Nowitzki's one-legged fadeaway and perimeter scoring helped broaden the offensive model for elite NBA big men and strengthened the league's embrace of international stars.
Dallas and Nowitzki became unusually synonymous because his entire NBA career stayed with one Texas franchise through rebuilding years, an MVP season and the 2011 title.
Sources
Research trail
Cross-linked profiles