Dirk Nowitzki is about to surpass Shaq on one all-time NBA list
In 2015-16, the Western Conference is a little weaker in the middle than it's been in years past. The Dallas Mavericks are making the most of that new-found parity, as they currently sit fifth in the West. And it's all thanks to Dirk Nowitzki, whose consistently elite scoring has him on the cusp of passing Shaquille O'Neal in NBA history.
After dropping 20 points against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, Nowitzki needs just 30 more to pass O'Neal on the NBA's all-time scoring list. At 28,596 career regular-season points, O'Neal sits at sixth on the list, trailing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.
That's just the NBA's list, though. If one includes ABA scoring as well, O'Neal (and Nowitzki) also trail Julius Erving and Moses Malone, according to Basketball-Reference.
Nowitzki is averaging 17.2 points per game this season, which would mean he'd pass O'Neal on Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets. It's also within the realm of possibility that Nowitzki could have a big game against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. He's scored 30 or more seven times against Toronto in his career, although the most recent instance came in 2011.
Earlier in the week, the 37-year-old Nowitzki called the idea of passing O'Neal "surreal."
