Dirk Nowitzki Passes Wilt Chamberlain For Sixth All Time Points Scored [VIDEO]

Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki passed Wilt Chamberlain and moved into No. 6 on the NBA’s all-time points scored leaderboard. He scored four points in the first quarter of Monday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans to pass the former leader.

Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki Beats Wilt Chamberlain

The shot was emblematic of the Mavs’ current situation, with Dirk taking the reins one last time. Wunderkind Luka Doncic passed the ball to Nowitzki near the top of the key. He then turned and hit his signature fadeaway jumper.

After the historic shot, Dirk hustled back onto defense. But when play stopped, Dallas showed a tribute video for the German as the crowd went wild inside the American Airlines Center.

Nowitzki trails No. 5 Michael Jordan by more than 800 points. Even if he did come back for another season, he’d have to average close to 10 points per game to surpass him. With his age increasing, that seems unlikely. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is the only active player in the top five. His 32,439 career points are good enough for No. 4 all time.

Nowitzki finished the game with eight points on 3-for-6 shooting. His Mavs would fall 129-125 in overtime.

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When asked about the historic shot, Nowitzki said, “I took my time and faced him up like I’ve done a million times and tried to shoot over him. It was good to get it over with in the first two shots.”

Doncic recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 13rebound, and 10 assists, including the pass to set Dirk up.

“He deserves everything good that happens to him,” Doncic said. “It’s amazing the things he has accomplished, but this one is really amazing for him.”

Despite missing games due to injury and reduced playing time, Dirk has remained a reliable player off the bench and a leader in the locker room.

“Not many people on the outside know the kinds of sacrifices to be on the floor to accomplish something like this,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “It’s just another credit to how he’s approached his entire career.”