WASHINGTON, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks became the NBA's sixth-leading scorer on Monday after hitting a turnaround from the top of the free-throw circle with 8:35 left in the first quarter.

The basket brought Nowitzki to 31,420 points in his career, one more than Wilt Chamberlain. The 40-year-old German trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Michael Jordan. James passed Jordan for fourth place on March 6.

Coming into the game, Nowitzki needed just four points to pass Chamberlain, and he started for just the ninth time this season. His first basket was a 20-footer off an assist from rookie Jalen Brunson.

Nowitzki has made nearly 2,000 3-pointers in his career, establishing the trend of big men with long-range shooting capabilities. He's an 88-percent free-throw shooter, 37 points higher than Chamberlain's mark.

Nowitzki is 872 points behind Jordan but may retire at the end of the season, though he has said he will decide on his future when the season is over. He is the only player in NBA history to play 21 seasons with one team.