"Dirk the god" - Kevin Durant lauds Dirk Nowitzki’s legendary shooting touch in viral ‘swish’ video

Dirk Nowitzki had a big influence on Kevin Durant and how the league perceives the offensive game of a big man. The picture of the Dallas Mavericks legend shooting his one-legged fadeaway jump shot over Tim Duncan gave the first picture of how lethal a big man with a jump shot could be in the league. And KD himself became the living example.

On Tuesday, March 25, Kevin Durant made a special post on his social media, hailing the NBA legend. Apparently, Durant was watching Nowitzki's highlights from the 2014-15 season. Later, he took a screenshot of the video and posted it on his Instagram story.

The Phoenix Suns star captioned the post with a special message.

"38 minutes of swishes lol Dirk the god," Durant wrote in the caption.

[Credit: IG/@easymoneysniper]

Kevin Durant talks about Dirk Nowitzki’s influence on his game

Dirk Nowitzki's legacy in the NBA extends far beyond the Dallas Mavericks. Not only did he bring the Mavs their maiden and only NBA title, but the German Hall of Famer also impacted many players' offenses with his signature one-legged fadeaway shot.

Kevin Durant has established his place among the greatest scorers in NBA history, and Nowitzki has his due place in the Phoenix Suns' superstar offense. Every now and then, KD's midrange has a glimpse of the Mavs' legend's cheat shot.

When Dirk Nowitzki was announced for the Hall of Fame in 2023, Kevin Durant said that he wanted Nowitzki to be the last one to speak among all inductees on the list. The Suns star also hailed Nowitzki's influence on modern big men in the game, including Durant himself.

"He inspired a lot of bigs to step out and work on their jump shots," Durant said. "He had an unstoppable shot himself that he coined and that he just created, that everybody followed around the world.

"A lot of people don’t talk about that, the fact that the one-legged fade is just a staple in the game. And it was used by him mostly his whole career."

He added:

"He impacted me as a young player, and a lot of my friends as well," Durant said. "Someone from Europe who can shoot it like that, at that size, at that point ... and then by the early 2000s, it was, yeah, he really solidified himself as one of the best players in the league."

Just over a year ago, Kevin Durant passed Dirk Nowitzki for the most 3-point shots made in the league's history. Yet, he is still over 1000 points behind the Mavs legend.