Mavs Legend Dirk Nowitzki Tells A Crazy Story When Kobe Bryant Recruited Him To Lakers
NBA legend Kobe Bryant once attempted to recruit Dirk Nowitzki from the Dallas Mavericks to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Legendary NBA player Dirk Nowitzki played his whole 21-year career with the Dallas Mavericks. Nevertheless, he wasn’t immune from rival superstars trying to lure him away from Dallas while he was in the league.
In April, Nowitzki spoke with “Shan and RJ” on 105.3 The Fan about a range of subjects. The recruitment efforts made by other superstars to persuade him to leave the Mavericks were one of the inquiries made.
Since Twitter may be going away, there’s no better way to say goodbye than with Dirk Nowitzki’s final home game.#MFFL
pic.twitter.com/aOurJYQS7q— MavsMuse (@MavsMuse) November 18, 2022
Mavs Legend Dirk Nowitzki Tells A Crazy Story When Kobe Bryant Recruited Him To Lakers
Prior to winning the 2011 NBA Finals, Dirk Nowitzki acknowledged having second thoughts about perhaps signing with another team. He wondered if he would have to play abroad to reach the end objective after lasting more than ten years without a title.
“While I was playing, the only thing I thought about was the pre-championship,” Nowitzki said. “I definitely wanted to finish my career here.” “I was wondering, “Am I going to win a championship here?” when we didn’t win it. This was after more than ten years in the league. Or am I leaving for somewhere else?”
Dirk Nowitzki in Game 1 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals
48 PTS – 12/15 FGM – 24/24 FTM
An underrated performance 🔥 pic.twitter.com/DmFQ8M5TCW
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The only superstars Nowitzki mentioned as having attempted to lure him away from the Mavericks were Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. But Nowitzki chose to extend his Dallas deal by four years in order to stay there.
“I remember Kobe (Bryant) tried to get me to come to L.A. at some point, and (Steve Nash) was reaching out to me at some point,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “But then I signed that four-year deal.”
did we forget Dirk Nowitzki exists https://t.co/XX3Pvc6TKT
— Sara Brnić (@SaraBrnic_) November 15, 2022
“He reached out to me during free agency, and of course I was honored. I mean that’s Kobe, but I basically told him, ‘Listen, I respect you so much, it would be so much fun to play with you, but you know what I’ve built here in Dallas and everybody’s been super loyal to me.’ And I think he expected that answer. I think in a way he respected me for that, and I think he wanted me to stay loyal and stay here in team.”
Sure enough, it would have been interesting to see what a Kobe Bryant-Dirk Nowitzki tandem could have done in the NBA. But clearly, it wasn’t meant to be.
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