Best NBA International Player?

Hakeem_Olajuwon vs Dirk Nowitzki

For more than 15 years, Dirk Nowitzki has been the face and the most influential player of the Dallas Mavericks. Without a doubt, one of the most efficient shooters in the sport. He is one of the six members of the 50-40-90 club. A prolific scorer, he has revolutnized shooting styles, with his trademark step back, and has been voted as the 3rd best Power Forward in NBA history.

When he does hang up his boots, he will be inducted into the Basketball hall of fame. His performances, even at the age of 37 for the Mavericks have led him to being compared to Hakeem Olajuwon as the greatest foreign born NBA player. Olajuwon, known as the Dream was one of the most graceful centres in the history of the NBA. While known for his defensive work (having finished with over 3800 blocks in his career), he was a reliable scorer on the offence but was one of the most graceful players, taking basketball like a science.

First, just have a look at the accolades that each one of them won.

Hakeem Olajuwon

2x NBA Champion, 12 Time NBA All-Star, NBA MVP , 2x NBA Finals MVP , 2x NBA Defensive Player of the year, 12 All NBA Teams, 9x All NBA Defensive Team, 1996 Olympic Gold Medal and when he retired, he was in the top 10 of Blocks, Points Scored, Rebounds and Steals (steals being unusually rare for a player his size). In 2008, He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame

Dirk Nowitzki

1x NBA Champion, 13 Time NBA All-Star, NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, 12 Time All NBA Team, A member of the rare 50-40-90 Club (including Dirk there are 6 players in the club), 2x FIBA European Player of the year, Top 5 in Points and one of the few players with more than 1000 blocks and 1000 3-point field goals.

In the recent publication by ESPN, Olajuwon was ranked as the fifth best centre of all time and Nowitzki was ranked as the third best Power Forward of all time

When he retired, Hakeem Olajuwon was the sixth highest point scorer, 10th in rebounds Blocks Leader (a title he still holds till date), and the most surprising aspect was his steals. He was sixth in NBA steals (now 8th), which is very rare. Frontcourt players are not known for their steals, especially centres who are not known for their agility.

Coupled with that, the defensive prowess made him a powerful defender, with athleticism on the defence skills that made it easier for him to guard a variety of players. On the offence, his grace, spins and quickness were unheard of for a center, with his trade mark dream shake, which has received wide spread acclaim.

Olajuwon is one of the few people to have recorded a quadruple-double, which has happened just 4 times in NBA history.

Because of this, many players work with him, on improving their mobility, focus and try to execute better post moves and for some, work on his dream shake. This includes Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Yao Ming, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony among others.

Dirk, on the other hand, transformed in Dallas after a rough start to his NBA career. Big men are not known for their overall shooting efficiency. The common tendency is to push the big men to take shots from further out since their likelihood of scoring drops. Not for Dirk, who has proven to be an excellent all round shooter, with career averages of 47% from the field, 38% from the 3 point line and 88% from the foul line (he has one of the highest NBA free throw shooting percentages).

His one leg fade away (which when combined with his reach) is a trade mark move of his that many consider very difficult to guard, with LeBron James commenting that it’s the second most difficult move to counter behind the skyhook by Kareem Abdul Jabbar. His post up games are different and the mavs tend to capitalize on it. With Dirk holding on the centre and drawing the opponent’s big man and another, he has a wide spectrum of options to make the pass to a teammate, who would be more open. While he never has been in the top NBA defence positions as he drifts away from the Power Forward position and guards the perimeter, he does have over 1000 blocks and steals, to go with more than 10,000 rebounds and over 28,000 points.

In the post season, both Nowitzki and Olajuwon along with Bob Pettit and Elgin Baylor have averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds a game. Both of them reserve their most dominating performances for the playoffs. However, Nowitzki ties Jerry West for the most 30 point games in elimination games, with 14 such games. In the last 25 years, in the top 100 elimination game performances, Nowitzki has 8 which is the highest.

If the question has to be answered who is the greater , two claim the title of being the greatest foreign born NBA Player? It has to go to Olajuwon as he has been able to do what most centres were not able to.

Is it fair to really compare them? Not really. Both have had extremely successful careers and have revolutionized their respective positions. However, Dirk still has a couple of seasons left in him before he hangs up his boots. As Olajuwon has retired, been inducted into the basketball hall of fame, which does give him a slight edge.