Dwyane Wade on Kobe Bryant's Legacy: 'There Will Never Be Another Kobe'

Dwyane Wade doesn’t see the Kobe Bryant that we do.

While we might view him as someone who's losing the battle with Father Time, the Miami Heat superstar still sees the Black Mamba for what he was in his prime—a cold-blooded assassin.

Before the Heat took on the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night, ESPN’s Michael Wallace penned a touching feature on Wade and Bryant.

"You hear about the guy being down, struggling with his shot and going through all of those other things," Wade said. "But what I'll always see is the guy who has dominated this game at his position for a long time, who performed at a high level for 20 years."

Bryant was on the sidelines against the Heat as D-Wade went for 12 points and six assists in 25 minutes of work in a 101-88 win.

"

I do feel—and I've said this before the last couple of years with LeBron [James], when he became the best player in our game—that Kobe Bryant is the greatest player of our era. The Kobe Bryants aren't around no more. There are good young players, but there will never be another Kobe. So every opportunity you get to [face him], you want to seize that moment.

"

Kobe seemed to appreciate what his friend had to say:

One day, after Bryant has played every last minute of his career, others will share similar stories about Wade.

The NBA is a circle of life. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t appreciate the greats—even when they’re not themselves anymore.

[h/t ESPN, Twitter, Instagram]