VIDEO: Dirk Nowitzki gets respect from Kobe Bryant after hitting game-winner
Fans were deprived of seeing Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant square off for one final battle on Tuesday night, with "The Black Mamba" being forced to sit due to a sore right shoulder.
While it would have been fun to see the two NBA icons go toe-to-toe one last time, the basketball world was still given one glorious image of Nowitzki and Bryant that will stand the test of time.
With the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers tied at 90 apiece with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Nowitzki hit a dagger right in the grill of Julius Randle to put his team up by two with 2.1 seconds left on the clock:
Dirk Nowitzki hits the game-winning shot right in front of the #Lakers bench and Kobe Bryant shows him love.
#Mavs
pic.twitter.com/bjdSFtjiBY
— NBA On Def Pen (@NBAOnDefPen) January 27, 2016
The moment we'll all remember, though, is what took place after the bucket, with Bryant giving Nowitzki a love tap and nod of approval:
No words. Just legends. *who decided to start cutting onions this late!?* pic.twitter.com/INBpy7uJ15
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) January 27, 2016
Never again, folks. Let's all soak this in.