Dirk Nowitzki: 17th Best Player Ever?

According to ESPN’s recent all-time player rankings, Dirk Nowitzki ranks as the 17^th. Is that too high or too low?

Dirk Nowitzki is Dallas’ most beloved professional athlete in recent memory. Basketball, football, baseball, or hockey, it’s hard to find a better man/athlete around these parts. The Big German was recently named as one of ESPN’s all-time best NBA players, clocking in at #17 overall.

Considering the rich, storied history of the NBA and its superstars, it was initially nice to see Dirk get respect of a top-25 ranking. But the more I thought about it the more discontent I became with the appraisal.

It’s no secret that I absolutely despise all-time lists. Generations are incomparable, in my opinion. Players are bigger, taller, and faster every generation so comparing a dominant player from decades ago to a player today is absurd considering the quality of competition they faced.

Not only that but comparing different positions to each other is an exercise in absurdity. How are we to say the best point guard in the NBA is better than the best small forward? Through statistics? You could but those positions and their responsibilities are vastly different from one another.

An argument can be made that the 1 and 5 spot (PG and C) should hold greater value since they have the biggest impact on the team. I largely agree with that but it’s still a very difficult argument to make given the apples-to-oranges nature of them.

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With all of that said, all-time lists are something we cannot hide from, and in this case, an all-time list speaks to one of our very own, Dirk Nowitzki. ESPN has been slowly releasing the rankings position by position and now all together as a top-100 overall list.

Based on the positional rankings we know Dirk Nowitzki falls in at #3 on the all-time PF list. Karl Malone is at #2 while the immortal Tim Duncan gets the top spot. I find it impossible to argue with Tim Duncan’s ranking because the Big Fundamental is just that good.

I’ll forever point out his whininess and his patented, “I’m shocked at that call. Look how wide my eyes are open” look he shows twice per game. But I’ll never question his skills.

Karl Malone, truly an all-time great, is also tough to argue with. You certainly can – you can speak to his lack of postseason success, his undersized play, his defense outside of the paint, or even his likeability un-likeability. But instead of dragging down every great player ahead of our beloved Dirk Nowitzki, I’d rather focus on Dirk himself.

There’s no question, Dirk Nowtitzki has his share of haters. Many are unfounded, uninformed, and even displaying trite bias. Look no further than Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He recently backed himself into a corner speaking to Dirk’s shortcomings, calling him a “one trick pony”. Not long after, Charles Barkley echoed Kareem in some regard himself.

Really?

This is Dirk Nowitzki, fellas – An NBA champion, league MVP, 13-time All Star, Finals MVP, and a man ranking 6^th in all-time scoring. Never before have we seen a player of Dirk’s size display such range and versatility.

"“All he’s done is revolutionize the power forward position as Europe’s greatest-ever import and sweetest-shooting big man we’ve ever seen,” said ESPN’s Marc Stein in his analysis."

None of this is new criticism for Euro players. Seen by many domestic players as streaky volume shooters who lack athleticism, defense, and “talent”, Euros will always have an uphill battle in getting the respect they deserve.

We see it all the time on sports radio, “Dirk doesn’t rebound.” “Dirk can’t defend.” “Dirk can’t play above the rim.”

According to ESPN’s recent all-time player rankings, Dirk Nowitzki ranks as the 17th. Is that too high or too low?

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According to ESPN’s recent all-time player rankings, Dirk Nowitzki ranks as the 17^th. Is that too high or too low?