Nowitzki Passes Hakeem Olajuwon on All-Time Scoring List
Published at
NBA via Dallas Mavericks(DALLAS) — Dirk Nowitzki moved past Hakeem Olajuwon into ninth place on the all-time scoring list on Tuesday night, making him the only international player in the top-ten
Nowitzki finished with 23 points in their 106-98 victory over the Kings to give him 26,953 in his career.
“It’s an honor,” Nowitzki said. “To do it at home, it was even more special. Getting a standing ovation, it was great.”
“Hakeem, to me, was one of the greatest,” Nowitzki continued. “I grew up watching him in the 90s. His footwork, his touch, was next to no other. I’m really humbled to keep climbing the ladder, blessed to stay healthy, and play at a semi-high level, I guess.”
The 12-time All-Star had his longtime short doctor and mentor, Holger Geschwindner, in the crowd to see it as well.
“It’s great for him to be here and see it,” Nowitzki said. “He meant so much to me in my career and he still does. I’m 36 years old and we still work on my game like I’m 21 years old. It’s fair to say that without him I wouldn’t be sitting at number 9 right now.”
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio