Kobe Bryant Reveals He Once Tried to Recruit Dirk Nowitzki to Lakers

Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki have been going head-to-head in the Western Conference ever since Nowitzki entered the NBA back in 1998.

If the Black Mamba had gotten his way a few years back, however, the two franchise cornerstones could have teamed up to try to win some championships together in purple and gold.

Bryant (20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers) and Nowitzki (18 years with the Dallas Mavericks) have spent their entire careers playing for just one organization. Both have had opportunities to leave via free agency but decided loyalty to their respective teams was just too strong.

That kept the two future Hall of Famers from ever playing together outside of All-Star Weekend.

During his All-Star media session in Toronto on Friday, Bryant revealed that he once let then-free agent Nowitzki know he would love to have him in Los Angeles. While he knew what the answer was going to be, the Black Mamba still felt it was worth a shot.

Though it's great to see professional athletes spend their careers with one team, we can't help but wonder what could have been had Bryant and Nowitzki joined forces.

[YouTube, h/t SB Nation]