Dirk Nowitzki on Kobe Bryant recruiting him to Lakers: That felt super cool to get that call from him

Dirk Nowitzki on initially telling the NBA he didn’t want the MVP Award… “I was embarrassed. I let the city and my team down and all I wanted to do was go somewhere where nobody knew me and go on vacation or something. And then sure enough, I got the call from the NBA, ‘You cannot leave yet, or not quite yet. There is a chance you might get the MVP.’ And I remember saying, ‘Just give it to somebody else.’” -via YouTube / April 20, 2023

Dirk Nowitzki on debating never coming to the NBA in the first place… I remember sitting by the pool on some sleepless nights, ‘Do I feel ready for this or should I stay in Europe?’ And then I was like, ‘I’m going to try it.’ In the back of my mind I was thinking, ‘Listen, I signed a rookie deal, after two or three years doesn’t work out at all, I can always go back to Europe, go back to Germany and play.’” -via YouTube / April 20, 2023

The Mavericks finished with the best record in the NBA that season by some margin, with a record of 67-15 earning them the number one seed in the Western Conference. Despite that regular season dominance, however, they were unable to get past the Golden State Warriors in the opening round of the playoffs, losing that series 4-2. The San Antonio Spurs went on to win the championship. In a recent interview with Rachel Nichols, Nowitzki said that he was “embarrassed. All I wanted to do was go somewhere where nobody knew me.” Unfortunately for Nowitzki, the NBA had other plans. According to the Mavs legend, he received a call from the league telling him to stay where he was as “there is a chance you might get the MVP.” Nowitzki’s response to learning he might receive the prestigious award, however, was “just give it to somewhere else.” -via Clutch Points / April 20, 2023

What sort of players did you watch growing up at the pro level? Cody Williams: For me, I watched a lot of Kobe [Bryant] just because his mindset and his footwork. Him and [DeMar] DeRozan I watched a lot of post footwork. DeMar DeRozan has some insane footwork. The only thing is I couldn’t really emulate a lot of Kobe just because I’m completely different built and play type, but I watched a lot of his footwork. Kevin Durant, I’m watching how he can get to his midrange pull-ups. My dad had me watch a lot of Chris Paul. Just seeing Chris Paul was never rushed. He’s never in a hurry or looking like he’s out of breath. -via HoopsHype / April 14, 2023

Pierce’s peak in the NBA coincided with that of Kobe. During that time, they were two of the top superstars in the league. This only meant that there were going to be fireworks whenever they faced each other on the court. Apparently, this personal rivalry spilled over outside the four corners of the hardcourt — at least from Kobe’s perspective: “In the commercial … you are supposed to fake it,” Pierce said on a recent episode of the i am athlete podcast as he told his experience of shooting a commercial alongside Bryant. “So I’m going to make a move and he knocks the ball out my hand. … He really trying to play defense. I’m like ‘Dawg, I didn’t come up here for this.’ … I was tripping off of that. I was like, ‘Damn, you really gotta go hard everywhere.’ That’s how hard he went every time.” -via MSN / April 14, 2023

Who reminds you most of Kobe Bryant in today’s game? Snoop Dogg: That’s a hard question because I don’t really see nobody with that, you know, killer Instinct. The closer that I say would be Steph Curry because Steph Curry got that killer instincts when it’s time for the playoffs, when it’s time for the big game -via YouTube / April 13, 2023