5 NBA Hall of Fame legends who might retire before the next season

3. Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk Nowitzki is sixth on the all-time scoring list

Dirk Nowitzki has changed the game of basketball as we know it. A lanky 7 footer who debuted in the era of the mammoth-hulking big men, Dirk literally carved out a niche for the stretch four. Before small ball era took off, before the SSOL Suns turned offense into a suicide squad sprint, Dirk Nowitzki pulled the big man position from the paint and out to the perimeter.

One of the things which set Dirk apart was that he's been equally capable of scoring inside and outside. That fadeaway jumper with a leg kicking the opponent where it hurts most will be one of Dirk's numerous footprints on the sport of basketball and on the nether regions of his opponents.

In spite of numerous 50 win seasons, Dirk was seen as an also ran for not winning on the big stage. The debacle of the 2006 Finals against the Heat haunted him for half a decade before he turned the basketball world on its head and powered the Mavericks to their first championship in 2011.

That run was one of the most memorable ones in recent memory. A team projected to lose every single round, vehemently exterminated competition en route to an NBA title.

At the age of 37, Dirk Nowitzki holds career averages of 22 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He is sixth all-time in points scored with 29,491 career points.