In 1998, the Milwaukee Bucks selected Dirk Nowitzki with the ninth pick in the draft. Three selections earlier, the Dallas Mavericks took Robert “Tractor” Traylor with the hopes that he would turn around the team’s terrible fortunes from that decade.
Now nineteen years later, the Dallas Mavericks have been gifted one of the fifteen greatest players in NBA history. 30,000 points, a championship, an MVP, and the rest of a Hall of Fame resume later, the Big German turns 39 before what might be his last NBA season.
With the exception of his rookie year in 1998, Dirk Nowitzki shot a minimum of 45% from the field… until 2015.