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Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki – Known for his one-legged jump shot
Another power forward who carved a niche for himself in the 2000s is Dirk Nowitzki. The 7ft German was initially chosen by the Milwaukee Bucks with their 8th pick in the 1998 Draft but was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks. His first season saw him mightily struggle in the NBA, with Nowitzki even pondering a return back to Germany. But from his second season onwards, things began getting better as the Mavs ownership changed hands. Nowitzki and Steve Nash became a difficult duo for opponents and they led the Mavs to a 53-29 regular season record in 2001.
They would constantly come up against the San Antonio Spurs, with the Spurs emerging triumphant in every playoff series. Thus Nowitzki could never reach the NBA Finals in his initial years.
The best season for Dirk was his championship winning season of 2010-11. The arrival of Tyson Chandler ensured that defense was catered to and a rim protector was around to mask Nowitzki’s shoddy defensive abilities. On the offensive end, Chandler and Dirk formed a unique frontcourt with Nowitzki as a long range threat and Chandler, the orchestrator of the pick-and-roll. With Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry in the roster, the whole lot seemed to complement each other. The Mavericks went on to win the Finals against the Miami Heat and Dirk could finally lay his hands on the Larry O’Brien trophy. On a personal front, Nowitzki joined an elite group of NBA players to have been an NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP, an NBA regular season MVP, and a ten-time All-Star. During the 2011 playoffs, Nowitzki averaged 27.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
Nowitzki’s contract expires this summer and being in the tail end of his career, he would like to retire as a Maverick.
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
