Dirk Nowitzki
1998–99 to 2018–19 · 21 seasons
NBA player comparison
Dirk Nowitzki vs. Luka Dončić: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Dirk Nowitzki ranks higher in career impact so far
Luka Dončić
2018–19 to 2025–26 · 8 seasons · active
Impact comparison
#42LeadsCareer Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#146
+7.4Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+9.8Leads
+6.7Best 5 average impact+8.5Leads
4.7Best 3 average finishAverage league place; closer to No. 1 is better3.3Leads
+6,053 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+3,487 pts
9.0LeadsBest 10 average finishAverage league place; closer to No. 1 is better81.2
Career Impact Rank places Dirk Nowitzki #42 and Luka Dončić #146. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Luka Dončić had the higher single-season impact estimate.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedDirk Nowitzki5.813 · No. 42Luka Dončić19.227 · No. 146
Only the three league-finish windows below determine Career Impact Rank. Career Value and peak impact are separate measures; neither adds points to this calculation. Lower composite scores rank higher.
Dirk Nowitzki
5.813 composite · No. 42 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 42005–06Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42006–07Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62007–08Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 4.667 | 50% | 2.333 |
| Best 5No. 42005–06Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42006–07Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62007–08Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 72002–03Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 72004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 5.600 | 30% | 1.680 |
| Best 10No. 42005–06Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 42006–07Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62007–08Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 72002–03Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 72004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 102010–11Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 102013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 112009–10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 152001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 162003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 9.000 | 20% | 1.800 |
2.333 + 1.680 + 1.800= 5.813
Luka Dončić
19.227 composite · No. 146 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 22022–23No. 32023–24No. 52021–22 | 3.333 | 50% | 1.667 |
| Best 5No. 22022–23No. 32023–24No. 52021–22No. 62019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62025–26 | 4.400 | 30% | 1.320 |
| Best 10No. 22022–23No. 32023–24No. 52021–22No. 62019–20Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 62025–26No. 72024–25No. 102020–21No. 212018–19Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate2 open slots × No. 376 | 81.200 | 20% | 16.240 |
1.667 + 1.320 + 16.240= 19.227
Open-season rule: every unfilled slot uses No. 376, this player's stored replacement finish.
Averages, contributions, and totals are displayed to three decimal places. The ranking calculation keeps full source precision. Read the full method →
Full comparison · Career comparison
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
Career Impact Rank compares entire regular-season careers across NBA history. It combines average league places across the best three, five, and ten seasons, weighted 50%, 30%, and 20%. A lower rank or average place is better.
| Metric | Dirk Nowitzki | Luka Dončić |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank | #42Better result for this metric. | #146 |
| Best 3 average finish | 4.7 | 3.3Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average finish | 5.6 | 4.4Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average finish | 9.0Better result for this metric. | 81.2 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Dirk Nowitzki | Luka Dončić |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #24Better result for this metric. | #60 |
| Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average | +7.4 | +9.8Better result for this metric. |
| Best 3 average impact | +7.1 | +9.0Better result for this metric. |
| Best 5 average impact | +6.7 | +8.5Better result for this metric. |
| Best 10 average impact | +5.6 | Unavailable |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +6,053 ptsBetter result for this metric. | +3,487 pts |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 2 | 3Better result for this metric. |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 7 | 7 |
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | Dirk Nowitzki | Luka Dončić |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 1,522 | 514 |
| Minutes | 51,368 | 18,001 |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These are each player's averages across up to ten best seasons. Career Impact Rank gives the Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights, giving the most weight to the highest peak. The model accounts for position, role, pace, playing time, and team results. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | Dirk Nowitzki | Luka Dončić |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 57.7% | 59.2%Better result for this metric. |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 59.3%Better result for this metric. | 59.0% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Dirk Nowitzki | Luka Dončić |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 47.1%Better result for this metric. | 46.9% |
| Three-point percentage | 38.0%Better result for this metric. | 35.2% |
| Free-throw percentage | 87.9%Better result for this metric. | 75.5% |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | Dirk Nowitzki | Luka Dončić |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 13.9% | 41.3%Better result for this metric. |
| Assists per game | 2.4 | 8.2Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Dirk Nowitzki | Luka Dončić |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 8.7%Better result for this metric. | 13.9% |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Dirk Nowitzki | Luka Dončić |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 13.3% | 13.4%Better result for this metric. |
| Rebounds per game | 7.5 | 8.5Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Dirk Nowitzki | Luka Dončić |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 1.3% | 1.8%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Dirk Nowitzki | Luka Dončić |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 2.0%Better result for this metric. | 1.2% |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Dirk Nowitzki | Luka Dončić |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 20.7 | 29.2Better result for this metric. |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.
Regular Season Impact
Dirk Nowitzki ranks higher in career impact so far.
Dirk NowitzkiMetricLuka Dončić
#42LeadsCareer Impact Rank to datePeak-weighted regular-season rank#146
+7.4Peak era-centered impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+9.8Leads
+6.7Best 5 average impact+8.5Leads
+6,053 ptsLeadsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+3,487 pts
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Dirk Nowitzki leads every available measure below.
Dirk NowitzkiMetricLuka Dončić
987LeadsListed-team regular-season wins400
59.0%LeadsListed-team winning percentage55.5%
12Leads50-win team seasons4
3Leads60-win team seasons0
15LeadsPlayoff team seasons6
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
Dirk Nowitzki leads every available measure below.
Dirk NowitzkiMetricLuka Dončić
15LeadsPlayoff appearances5
145LeadsPlayoff games55
70LeadsTeam playoff wins28
2LeadsFinals appearances1
1LeadsChampionships0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
The advantages are split across the available measures.
Dirk NowitzkiMetricLuka Dončić
14LeadsAll-Star6
1LeadsMVP0
12LeadsAll-NBA6
0All-Defense0
0DPOY0
0Rookie of the Year1Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.
Career Shape Explorer
How the careers developed
Follow every regular season by NBA experience or age. This view describes the path; it does not create another verdict.
Dirk NowitzkiLuka DončićPeak seasonHistorical source qualification
Career to date. Active careers stop at the latest completed season; no future seasons are projected.
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average
Season-by-season evidenceRead both careers at the same stage
Every observed season keeps its age, era-centered impact estimate, league rank when qualified, career-stage label, and exact evidence link. A missing career point stays missing.
Dirk NowitzkiNBA seasonLuka Dončić
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
No season
2007–08Age 29 · +5.6 · No. 6Season 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
Season 10No season
Season 11
No season
Season 12
No season
Season 13
No season
Season 14
No season
Season 15
No season
Season 16
No season
Season 17
No season
Season 18
No season
Season 19
No season
Season 20
No season
Observed values come from the accepted season comparison record. Historical source qualifications stay attached to affected seasons. Missing means no NBA season exists at that aligned point; it is never interpolated. Missing is not the same as estimated.