Dirk Nowitzki (Germany)
Your only argument against Hakeem Olajuwon as the greatest international player of all-time is if you think it’s Dirk Nowitzki instead.
Not many people batted an eye when the Milwaukee Bucks traded their tall German draft pick for Robert Traylor on draft night, but it turned out to be one of the worst trades in NBA history.
Nowitzki retired this year after 21 years with the Dallas Mavericks. He ranks sixth all-time in points and third in both games and minutes. Dirk won a regular season MVP and also won one of the more meaningful individual effort championships of all-time, leading the Mavs to a shocking upset over the Miami Heat in 2011, LeBron’s first year there. Dirk was a 14-time All-Star and always had that one-legged step-back no one was ever able to stop.
