In 1998, The Milwaukee Bucks drafted Dirk Nowitzki, a relatively unknown German power forward, ninth overall in the NBA Draft, before trading his draft rights to the Dallas Mavericks later that night. Nowitzki became one of the league’s most dominant players throughout the next two decades and finished his career with a Championship and MVP. Following Nowitzki’s rise to stardom, scouts around the league began doing in-depth searches for players like him. Scouts would follow a very distinct formula for Dirk doppelgangers (Dirkelgangers, if you will): A Tall (6’10” +) and skinny European who, despite having the build of a traditional forward or center, has the handles or shooting abilities of the guard. While there were other players before Nowitzki, notably Arvydas Sabonis and Toni Kukoc, Dirk was the one to popularize the fad of Positionless European Bigs. Today, we will look at some notable examples of players in the early 2000s who owe their careers (and varying success) to Nowitzki.
Pau Gasol (2001)
Pau Gasol was the first prospect to be affected by Nowitzki’s rise. Gasol was a 7’1” Spanish small forward playing for FC Barcelona in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Gasol had a prestigious career as a teenager, Winning multiple Spanish league titles and being named Spanish King’s Cup MVP in 2001. That same year, he was selected third overall in the NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks before being traded that night to the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol had a stellar career in the league, mainly with the Grizzlies, Lakers, and Bulls. Gasol won Rookie Of The Year and, a few years later, would put Memphis on the map, leading the team to their first playoff appearance in franchise history. Gasol was named to his first all-star team in 2006, and two years later, was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, joining players like Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum. Gasol helped the Lakers reach the finals three years ago, winning back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. He was named to multiple all-star and All-NBA teams during his time with the Lakers. He continued his success with the Chicago Bulls, where he was named to two more all-star games and an All-NBA Second Team nod. Gasol spent his last few seasons with the Spurs, Trail Blazers, and Bucks before returning to FC Barcelona in 2021 to retire where he started. Gasol recently was elected to the Basketball Hall Of Fame and had his jersey retired by the Lakers. While there weren’t many similarities between Gasol and Nowitzki throughout their career besides being Bigmen from Europe, Gasol detached himself from the Nowitzki comparisons early on, cemented himself as just Pau Gasol and not “The Next Dirk.”
Nikoloz Tskitishvili (2002)
A year later, Georgian prospect Nikoloz Tskitishvili was touted as “Quicker and more Athletic than Dirk Nowitzki” by ESPN. Tskitishvili didn’t put up outstanding numbers in Slovenia and Italy, and in his final season in Europe before declaring for the draft, he only put up 6.6 PPG in 15 games. Despite the mundane stats, American scouts were mesmerized by Tskitishvili’s physique. He was 7’0” and 245 lbs, the same height and weight as Nowitzki, and had exhibited some good shooting and handling skills in the few games he played. The Denver Nuggets selected Tskitishvili 5th overall (Albeit, then-Nuggets GM Kiki VanDeWeghe later admitted to never watching Tskitishvili play) in the 2002 Draft. Tskitishivili peaked in his rookie year, putting up career highs of 3.9 PPG, 1.1 APG, and 2.2 RPG. Tskitishvili also posted an abysmal .293% from the field. “Skita” was traded halfway through the 2004-05 Season to the Warriors, where he appeared in 12 games before playing his final season in the league in 2006 for the Timberwolves and Suns. He played the rest of his years as a journeyman in Europe and Asia and had a week-long stint with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2015-16 Preseason.
Darko Milicic (2003)
One of the worst players attributed to the Nowitzki Effect was Darko Milicic. Milicic was a 7’0” 17-year-old from Serbia who was the second-most hyped prospect coming into the 2003 Draft behind LeBron James. The NBA even changed rules for the minimum age of draftees for international players because of Darko; that’s how intriguing he was to the league. Darko was selected 2nd overall by the Detroit Pistons, notably over Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade. Unlike those three, Milicic was selected by an already-Championship-calibre team, who had inherited the pick years prior in a trade with the Vancouver Grizzlies. Milicic was demoted to a bench role after Detroit had acquired Rasheed Wallace at the deadline, and despite being a part of the team’s 2004 and 2005 Finals runs, he never played more than 37 games while in Detroit and was swiftly traded to the Orlando Magic during the 2006 season. While Milicic did show signs of improvement and was even a starter on teams like the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves, Milicic was never able to be more than a journeyman and retired from the NBA in 2013 following a five-minute stint with the Boston Celtics. Milicic is now known as one of the biggest busts in NBA history.
Andrea Bargnani (2006)
In 2006, Andrea Bargnani was the biggest prospect in all of basketball. The 20-year-old 7 ft Italian prospect was the next European big to get the “Next Dirk” label, and for good reason. Bargnani was an effortless three-point shooter with great shot-blocking ability. Because of his allure, the Toronto Raptors selected Bargnani first in the 2006 NBA Draft. Despite being taken first overall, Bargnani started in only two games his rookie year, partly due to the Raptors signing veteran Spanish forward Jorge Garbajosa the same year. However, he put up good numbers off the Toronto bench and was second in Rookie Of The Year voting behind Portland’s Brandon Roy. Bargnani didn’t amount to much during his career; however, he was pretty efficient when he played, averaging about 15 PPG, 6 RPG, and an assistat and a block per game with the Raptors. In 2013, he was traded to the New York Knicks. While he put up good numbers and occasionally started, Bargnani missed many games due to injury. Bargnani played his final season in the NBA in 2016 with the Nets, where he played a bench role. While Bargnani didn’t have a stellar career like some of his other peers from his draft class and wasn’t even the best power forward to come out of that 2006 Draft, he still played a good role for the Raptors organization as Chris Bosh’s occasional frontcourt partner. However, he did not live up to his expectations. He only played ten seasons in the league before injuries succumbed and retired from the game in 2017 after returning to the Euroleague.
