Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash may have failed to win a championship together with the Dallas Mavericks, but they definitely formed a bond and friendship that is unbreakable.

Nowitzki showed exactly that on Saturday as he shared a tribute for Nash during his Hall of Fame speech. He reflected on their journey together in the NBA–including the time they had ugly haircuts–and how much they have done together as teammates on the Mavs. While it's quite the bummer that their time together abruptly ended after six years together, Nowitzki was appreciative of the time they had and how Nash became an inspiration and role model for him.

“Creativity is worth noting without leadership, and the guy that comes to mind is my friend Steve,” Nowitzki said. “I think we came a long way from those two brutal haircuts we saw there. The frosted tips you had. Who would have thought when we first started playing together, we'll be on this stage together. It means the world to me, and you were a great role model to me, and the best teammate I ever had. You're always positive, you always encouraged me, we worked our butts off at night, went back to the gym. And so you became a friend for life. Thank you my friend.”

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
clippers mavericks prediction

Nathanial Duffett ·

Dallas Mavericks player PJ Washington

Preston Byers ·

Mavericks Kyrie Irving looking serious in front.

Joey Mistretta ·

There is no denying that playing with Steve Nash has had a tremendous impact on Dirk Nowitzki's career. It's safe to say he wouldn't able to elevate his game to the highest level without the help of one of the best point guards in NBA history.

While it would have been awesome to have seen them win a title together, it just wasn't meant to be. But hey, at least Dirk was able to fulfill that dream of theirs when he led the Mavs to the title in 2011. Sure enough, Nash was proud of his former teammate and good friend for that.