Dirk Nowitzki

His signature shot was the unconventional concoction in which feel for the game and touch intersected with a little science and a drop of divine inspiration. Dirk Nowitzki’s patented one-legged, step-back fadeaway was one of basketball’s most lethal offensive weapons for more than two decades. Those decades were spent as a Dallas Maverick, a record 21 seasons with the same franchise. Dirk and Dallas became synonymous, with a street named Nowitzki Way intersecting with Victory Ave near American Airlines Center. Nowitzki was a 14-time NBA All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selection, 2007 regular season MVP, and 2011 Finals MVP for leading Dallas to the franchise’s first NBA championship. The Wurzburg, Germany native changed the way a big man played the game. He stretched the floor, drove past defenders on the perimeter, and created separation with his fadeaway. The six-time Euroscar Player of the Year scored 31,560 career points to become the highest-scoring foreign-born player ever and helped change the way the NBA viewed European players.