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Dirk Nowitzki discloses that Kobe Bryant recruited him to join Lakers right after he won title with Mavericks

Published by

Peter Dewey

April 13, 2021 5:02 pm

Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki revealed that Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant once recruited him to come join him in Los Angeles.

“I never really got many pitches because everybody knew I kind of loved Dallas and I wanted this to work,” Nowitzki told ESPN’s Nick Friedell. “I remember Kobe Bryant one year reached out to me, it was obviously an honor. I think this was after I won the championship and my four-year deal was done. Kobe was still doing his thing in L.A. We talked, we texted back and forth, but I told him, ‘Listen, I’m sorry and you know how it is. Dallas is my city and my home and it would feel super weird to put a different uniform on.’ And I think he totally understood that; I think he respected me more after that.”

Bryant and Nowitzki led two powerhouses in the Western Conference during their NBA careers.

Bryant and the Lakers went on to win five NBA titles during his storied career, while Nowitzki and the Mavs went to two NBA Finals and won one.

Nowitzki was a 14-time All-Star and averaged 20.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for his career.

He and Bryant likely would have formed one of the most unstoppable duos in the NBA.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.