But I'll even take it a step further. I truly believe Dirk has been the most INFLUENTIAL player in the entire NBA.
Most of Reggie and Ray Allen's careers never had the spacing Steph does now. While the Warriors took things a step further and making the 5-out offense a viable option, the league has really only been playing 4-1 sets since Dirk got drafted and started winning 50 games a year for over a decade. The Spurs are the only team that had a longer streak of making the playoffs but the Mavs never had the roster continuity of the Spurs and Duncan had much better coaching and a much better supporting cast than Dirk.
The 2 most unguardable shots in NBA history are the Skyhook and Dirks fadeaway midrange turnaround jumper, and not in that order.
The fact that Dirk is top 6 all time in scoring, an MVP, Finals MVP and NBA champion being the LONE all-star on the roster (1 of 7 times that happened) and beating the BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE at that time with 2 other MULTIPLE time All-stars is so frustratingly over-looked.
Dirk "changed the game" more than anyone in the history of the NBA IMO. Jordan made the league the most popular it's ever been. But his greatest achievement was OFF the court in how he revolutionized how athletes could get paid with endorsements in signing his Nike deal. The money he's made off merchandise VS his money he made while playing isn't even close. Lebron being a billionaire while still being an active player is remarkable. But there's not a SINGLE accomplishment on or off the court that Kobe and Jordan didn't make possible for him.
Dirk was COMPLETELY unknown when he got drafted and was thought of as a bust after his rookie season. The journey he took has never been duplicated and there's never been anyone CLOSE to his skill set since. The most comparable player since Dirk is maybe Kevin Durant and that's strictly due to his size, not his game. Catch and shoot, post game, and the fact he was NEVER as athletic as any of the members of the top 10 in scorers should not be forgotten. MULTIPLE paycuts and 21 years with the same franchise (to his own detriment I'll admit, especially after the 2011 season) and only Kobe can say 20 but he took almost 2 years off and was never the same after his Achilles injury.
Dirk COULD have retired 2 years earlier but was STILL efficient in his final season as I'm SURE he could still play spotty minutes for any team in the league RIGHT NOW.
If he never had to run the court or play defense, you could EASILY count on Dirk for 10-12 points a game till he was 50 if all he has to do was catch and shoot.
Steph and his showboating will get all the headlines. Jordan has his rings and his dunks. Kobe was mini-Jordan. Lebron is the most TALENTED player we've ever seen but has woefully underperformed EVEN with his super teams.
Dirk went about his business for 21 years and never had bad interviews. Was a consummate professional. Rewarded loyalty regardless of how it worked out for himself. "Changed the game" doesn't even cut it IMO. There's never been anyone like him and I don't believe we'll ever see it again. Luka has the POTENTIAL to surpass Dirk as the greatest international player and maybe already has. But unless he wins multiple championships and never leaves and retires in Dallas he might not even be the greatest MAVERICK.
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