Well, here I was resurrecting my venom for Dwyane Wade’s annual visit to American Airlines Center tonight when another Mavs’ villain has arisen.
Of all people, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?
As I kid I loved Lew Alcindor, then Kareem. Always admired his “sky hook” because defenses were at its mercy. It remains the most unblockable, unguardable shot in NBA history.
Which makes what Kareem said recently about Dirk Nowitzki even that more peculiar. And wrong.
In a speech at George Mason University, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer had the audacity to call No. 6 on the list a “one-trick pony.” Yikes.
Like Kareem’s sky hook, Nowitzki’s “Flamingo Fadeaway” was wholly unblockable. The best defense against the shot was merely hoping he would miss. At 7-feet tall and leaning and then jumping back away from the defender, it was literally too tall of a task to guard. The only player I saw block Dirk’s signature shot was the Spurs’ Bruce Bowen, and he did it from behind Nowitzki’s back.
“Dirk Nowitzki's shot is very hard to block,” Jabbar said in his speech. “But I don't think that he was able to have a dominant career because if he could have shot like that and rebounded, and played defense, and blocked shots, then he would have been more all-around and gotten more credit. He was like a one-tricky pony. You want guys like that who can shoot on your team. I'm not saying that he lacked value, but he would have been considered at a higher level if he had done more on the court other than just shoot the ball.”
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I’m willing to guess that of their total points scored in the NBA, a higher percentage of Kareem’s via the sky hook than Dirk’s did by his fadeaway jumper. Regardless, it’s ridiculous to say Nowitzki was a one-trick pony.
He revolutionized the power forward position in the NBA. He was the best-shooting 7-footer in the history of basketball. And, oh by the way, his most important points scored in the 2011 NBA Finals came after aggressive dribble-drives finished with left-handed layups. And, despite his 20 years in the league, you can count Jabbar’s similar moves on one hand.
Um, but yeah, it’s still OK to boo Wade Wednesday night. Just so you know.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
