Now in his 20th season in the NBA, Dirk Nowitzki has won all awards the NBA has to offer. From being a champion, former MVP, 13-time All-Star, to one of only seven players to reach 30,000 points in his stellar career, it’s hard to think of another feat the Dallas Mavericks forward has not reached yet.
However, on Monday, he added another one to his long list of achievements as he has reached 50,000 minutes played. The German international has now passed Elvin Hayes for fifth place on the all-time list.
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Article Continues Below50,000 minutes can change a man.
Dirk Nowitzki becomes the sixth player in NBA history to play 50,000 career minutes.
Congrats to @swish41 pic.twitter.com/t9Iteitdn0
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 6, 2018
Nowitzki's latest feat only goes to show how he has put a premium on taking care of his body throughout his career. He has not had a season where he played less than half of it and has set the bar high for international players in the NBA, being widely considered as the most successful one in league history. He is also known for being a pioneer in how the power forward position is played today, with his ability to shoot in different ways, including from beyond the arc, the perimeter, as well as close to the basket.
He may not be the same player that he was early on in his career, but Nowitkzi is still playing at a very high level this season, and is producing 12.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 24.9 minutes per game. If he will not show signs of slowing down anytime soon, he has a chance to further move up the all-time minutes played ladder, and even surpass Jason Kidd and Kevin Garnett, who currently sit on fourth and third place, respectively.