Nowitzki records 10,000th career rebound, joins elite company
Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki has added another milestone to his resume.
Nowitzki recorded his 10,000th career rebound during Tuesday's game against the San Antonio Spurs, joining a Hall of Fame-worthy list in the process. He became the seventh player in NBA history with 27,000 career points and 10,000 rebounds; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal, Moses Malone and Elvin Hayes are the others.
"That's pretty unbelievable," Nowitzki said. "I came in as probably the worst 7-foot rebounder in the league at the time."
That changed over the years, as Nowitzki went from averaging 3.4 rebounds his rookie season to 6.5 in his sophomore, before skyrocketing in the following seven seasons. He averaged 9.3 rebounds per game from 2000-01 to 2006-07.
Even more impressive is how well-rounded Nowitzki's game has been since breaking into the league during the 1998-99 season.
Dirk just became the 1st player in @NBAHistory with 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 1,000 blocks & 1,000 3-pointers! pic.twitter.com/ukQfsvNDff
— NBA (@NBA) March 25, 2015
Nowitzki scored 15 points and added 13 rebounds to help the Mavericks down the Spurs 101-94. Monta Ellis scored a game-high 38 in the win on 16-of-27 shooting from the field.