With Kobe Bryant passing Michael Jordan for third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, it gave fans, media, teammates and opposing players a chance to reflect on Kobe’s remarkable career. While players like Kevin Durant and Paul George sang Kobe’s praises, Reggie Miller wasn’t as nice. Dirk Nowitzki was part of the former. Nowitzki has long battled Bryant and the Lakers throughout his career and according to him, no one has been better than the Black Mamba during his time in the league.
“He’s probably the greatest player in my generation that I played against,” said Nowitzki, who has 27,239 career points and will likely pass Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone over the next few weeks to move up to seventh on the list. “Obviously Shaq was very dominant, Tim Duncan was great, but I just loved watching Kobe. I don’t think there will ever be another MJ, but he’s definitely as close as it gets that we’ll ever see.
“He had it all. He’s a clutch player, can make shots from anywhere. I’ve had a blast from watching him during his career very closely. That’s a heck of an accomplishment for sure.”
