On Christmas Day, Dirk Nowitzki was honored with a statue outside the American Airlines Center. Before the Mavs took on the Lakers, Dirk spoke to the media, and he was asked about his thoughts on LeBron James' place when it comes to the debate about the greatest player of all time.
Dirk explained, "It's tremendous that he can still play like this in Year 20, his athleticism is incredible, I'm happy for him." He then added, "I always say Michael Jordan is the GOAT, but if [James] really surpasses Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] with the scoring record, I'm sort of running out of arguments for Michael."
Dirk, who ranks as the NBA's sixth all-time leading scorer with over 31,000 career points, also pointed to LeBron's accomplishments off of the court.
"What this guy has done has been nothing short of incredible — the longevity. I'll always say being called 'King' at 15 [years old] and how he turned out and what he's done for communities where he played and changed so many lives. He's a very very special athlete and for now, we need to appreciate watching him at the level he's playing at."
After scoring 38 points on Christmas Day, LeBron is currently 629 career points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the list of the NBA's all-time scoring list. Michael Jordan ranks at #5 on the list with 32,292 points, with Kobe in the #4 spot, and Karl Malone coming in third.
