BleacherReport reports to us that Dirk Nowitzki contributed 27 points to the Mavericks’ 107-95 win over the Lakers this past Friday to pass longtime scoring leader Dominique Wilkins for the 11th place in the NBA scoring list. Wilkins ended his career with 26,668 points, while Nowitzki hit 26,678 at the game’s end with more games in the season. At 35, the question of Nowitzki’s retirement hovers about, but he is healthy, and a longtime mentor states, “I guess if he’s not seriously injured he can play three or four more years easily.”

In the postseason race, Nowitzki has been scoring consistently well for the Mavericks– and it was definitely needed. In his last three games, Nowitzki scored at least 26 points to edge them along the super-competitive Western Conference, and he’s been averaging 21.6 points all season. The Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies are their main competitors for a Western playoff spot; it looks like Nowitzki will be making a couple more shots. Here is the current list of the guys right above him on the NBA scoring list. Who knows, maybe he’ll pass another one during gargantuan playoff efforts.

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar- 38,387
2. Karl Malone- 36,928
3. Michael Jordan- 32,292
4. Kobe Bryant – 31,700
5. Wilt Chamberlain- 31,419
6. Shaquille O’Neal- 28,596
7. Moses Malone- 27,409
8. Elvin Hayes- 27,313
9. Hakeem Olajuwon- 26,946
10. Oscar Robertson- 26,710

From the looks of it, Oscar Robertson might want to kick on his PF Flyers for a couple of games; it is very likely that Nowitzki is coming for his spot in the very near future. Just a little more ammunition for the Nowitzki fans who assert that Nowitzki may just very well be one of the top three scorers of NBA history.

Image via Wikimedia Commons