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Charles Barkley played in the NBA for 16 years. He was a unique player who stood at 6-foot-5, yet he mostly played at the power forward spot, the same position that Dirk Nowitzki excelled in.
When Nowitzki entered the league in 1998, Barkley was in the second-to-last season of his illustrious NBA career. He was with the Houston Rockets and still remembers when the German rookie destroyed his team.
"Dirk was like 18 and was kicking our a**," Barkley recalled.
Unfortunately, the two power forwards did not play against each other many times in the NBA. They met six times in total, with each player winning three games.
Dirk Nowitzki destroyed Charles Barkley's team
Nowitzki and Barkley faced each other six times, with all of these games taking place in 1999. Dirk averaged 16.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists against Barkley and scored 31 points in their last matchup.
The 6-foot-5 forward, on the other hand, averaged 15 points and 13.8 rebounds. He was also excellent in their last game, scoring 26 points and grabbing 15 boards in a 20-point victory.
Dirk's 31-point performance was impressive, but not as impressive as his game in Germany against Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. In this game, the 7-foot forward dropped 52 points.
"We’re playing, and we’re screwing around because we played exhibitions against those foreign squads," Barkley recalled. "Michael, Scottie, and a bunch of guys...like NBA players."
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"He [Dirk] got like 25 in half-time. And me and Michael are like, ‘Scottie, you gotta pick it up a little bit,’" Charles Barkley added. "He’s like, ‘Man, I’m going to lock him down in the second half.’ Dirk finished with 52.”
Despite being one of the best two-way players in the entire NBA, Scottie Pippen could not stop Nowitzki, which simply showed how good he is.
It's interesting that the German-born player idolized Pippen while growing up. He was his favorite player, so dropping 52 points on him must have felt good. Dirk later revealed that he was disappointed with Scottie as he was an "arrogant a** beyond belief."
Nowitzki's impressive NBA career
As a rookie, the Dallas Mavericks forward averaged only 8.2 points. However, he stepped up his game in the second season and became a 20-point scorer in the third year in the league.
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Dirk spent 21 seasons in the NBA and is tied for second place for the most seasons played in the league, trailing only Vince Carter. Throughout this period, the Dallas Mavericks legend averaged 20.7 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Nowitzki led the Mavericks to their first and only NBA championship in 2011. He was also the 2006-07 MVP and was named an All-Star in 14 seasons.
