Dirk Nowitzki Passes Wilt Chamberlain, Becomes Sixth All-Time in NBA Scoring
Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki passed Wilt Chamberlain to become the NBA's sixth all-time scorer in history at Monday's home game against the Pelicans.
Nowitzki went into the game with 31,416 career points, needing four points to surpass Chamberlain's 31,419 points. Nowitzki is the second-highest active scorer behind Lakers forward LeBron James. They're the only two active players in the top 10 of the list.
Nowitzki drilled a three-pointer to open his scoring on the night. He then knocked down a face-up jumper from the right elbow with 8:40 to play in the first quarter to take the spot in front of a sellout crowd.
The legend departed the contest a minute later to a standing ovation.
"Breaking records is always fun," Nowitzki said before the game. "If it happens at home it’s even more special for your fans that’s been riding with you for such a long time."
James surpassed Michael Jordan (32,292) on March 6 to became the fourth-highest all-time NBA scorer (32,439). James now trails only Kobe Bryant (33,643), Karl Malone (36,928) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) on the league's all-time scoring list.
Nowitzki, 40, entered Monday night averaging 6.0 points per game this season, his 21st year in the league. Nowitzki has played in 38 games this season, and he's scored four or more points in 10 of the last 11 games.
