Exactly one year ago today, the prospect of Dirk Nowitzki becoming the sixth player in NBA history to hit 30,000 points was simply a matter of when, not if.
Go back nearly 20 years ago, and the idea that the lanky 20 year old from Germany with blinding blonde hair and an earring in his left ear would someday reach 30,000 points seemed like a pipe dream at best.
"Nobody in the world thought we'd have a guy who could end up with 30,000 points," former Mavericks head coach Don Nelson said last year. "Nobody.