There have been plenty of tales of the illustrious career of Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, but none quite as mythical as the ones coming from Charles Barkley, another Hall of Famer now known for his commentary on TNT's Inside The NBA. The former NBA All-Star told a story about a young Nowitkzi completely roasting American competition during an exhibition during an European tour back in 1997, before his eventual NBA debut.
The story has been told by Barkley a dozen times before, but it never fails to entertain:
“Dirk put up a smooth 50 points. He was too big for Scottie Pippen and, I forget, we had another really good defender—I can’t remember who it was at the time—and he just whooped their ass,” Barkley recalled to Zac Crain of D Magazine. “I walked up to him after the game and I said, “My man, who are you?” And he was telling me he was like 18, 19 years old, and I said, “Well, whatever money it’ll cost you to go to Auburn, I’ll pay your way for you to go there.”
Auburn didn't follow up on Barkley’s offer, but the University of California at Berkley offered the young German a scholarship, as did Kentucky. The hopes to recruit Nowitzki evaporated soon after his display came to the States, chosen to play with the World Select Team at the Nike Hoop Summit in San Antonio.
Nowitzki would go head to head against future NBA talents like Rashard Lewis and Al Harrington, scoring 33 points and snatching 14 rebounds in the tilt.
The rest if history.
The Milwaukee Bucks selected Nowitzki with the ninth pick in the 1998 NBA Draft and consequently traded him to the Mavericks in a multi-team deal; which would also haul in another future star in point guard Steve Nash.
Nowitzki certainly made a deep impression in Barkley, who has been a longtime admirer of his career ever since, one that is now etched as one of the best scorers in league history.
Follow Us
Subscribe