Dirk Nowitzki on Why He Declined Kobe Bryant’s Request to Join Lakers

• Dirk Nowitzki has revealed he declined Kobe Bryant's request to join the Los Angeles Lakers
• The German spent his entire NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks
• He led them to their only NBA title in 2011

Dirk Nowitzki is arguably one of the best European players in NBA history. He spent his entire 21 seasons in the league playing for the Dallas Mavericks.

He recently revealed the late Kobe Bryant tried to recruit him to the Los Angeles Lakers, and although he felt honored by the request, he respectfully declined.

Nowitzki is among the headliners for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2023. He will be inducted alongside NBA greats Dwyane Wade, Gregg Popovich, Tony Parker, and Pau Gasol.

Nowitzki and Bryant used to battle for the Western Conference title for years. Nowitzki finally led the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title, probably the biggest upset in the finals against LeBron James and Wade's Miami Heat. Nowitzki and the Mavericks swept Bryant and the Lakers in the second round en route to their championship in 2011.

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Bryant won his last NBA titles in 2009 and 2010.

Nowitzki on Bryant's recruitment efforts

During a recent appearance on Showtime's "Headliners By Rachel Nichols," the German hero made an appearance to reflect on his NBA career. He opened up on Bryant's efforts to lure him away from Dallas.

Before the 2007 NBA MVP had agreed to a four-year, $80 million contract with the Mavericks in 2010, there were numerous efforts from players like Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash to lure him to their respective teams, per SI.

Nowitzki respectfully declined Bryant's request.

“That felt super cool to get that call from him," Nowitzki said of Bryant's recruitment efforts. "I think he respected me almost more when I said, ‘Listen, I’ve been here in Dallas so long; I want to finish my career here.'"

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The 44-year-old was the first European-born player to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, per Dallas News.

Nowitzki would go on to spend the rest of his career with the Mavericks. His jersey has been retired, and a statue was built outside of the American Airlines Center, with the slogan "Loyalty never fades away", and the street "Nowitzki Way" named after him.

Bryant also revealed he tried to recruit the German big man, per Bleacher Report.

"I'm a lifer like you, man," Bryant said of Nowitzk's reaction to his recruitment. "We don't leave."

Nowitzki statue unveiled

Sports Brief earlier reported on Nowitzki's statue being unveiled on Christmas morning, 2022.

The nearly 24-foot statue was unveiled after his son Max pushed the lever before the white bronze statue was revealed.

The statue is a sculpture of the German's famous one-legged jumper. The shot became known as "The Dirk" while Nowitzki climbed to the sixth spot on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

Omri Amrany created the statue. He also made statues of other retired NBA stars, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Shaquille O’Neal.