DALLAS - Kobe Bryant was in a playful mood after Wednesday night's 96-91 victory over the Mavericks.
Standing in the visiting locker room at American Airlines Center, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, who was held to 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting, was asked about a comment he made regarding his fadeaway jumper being "sexier" than the one belonging to Dirk Nowitzki.
"He knows it's true," Bryant said with a smile. "His shot's ugly. It is. It looks terrible. Anybody in Dallas that says Dirk has a pretty fadeaway is lying through their teeth. It just looks disgusting.
"But it's extremely effective."
Bryant voiced the original comment to the TNT broadcast team in the middle of a game against Portland on Monday night.
"Dirk does it well, I do it better," Bryant said after attempting the fadeaway. "Mine's a little sexier."
Nowitzk's signature step-back move has been outstanding throughout his 14-year career. Heck, it's a significant reason why the 7-foot German won a championship ring, reached the playoffs 11 times and became widely regarded as one of the greatest scorers of all-time.
So maybe that jumper has dropped off a little over the last few years. It was probably a little sweeter about five or six years ago, right Kobe?
"It's always been ugly," Bryant said.
Continuing to have a little fun at Nowitzki's expense, the five-time NBA champ went on to blame Nowitzki for the Lakers missing six consecutive free throws in the final minute.
"That's Dirk's fault," Bryant joked. "Dirk missed two [with 3:29 remaining]. He started it."
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