When listing the greatest players in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise, Kobe Bryant's name is often mentioned in the first breathe — for good reason. To be frank, The Black Mamba, as he's come to be known, is a Lakers legend, and several of his peers feel the same way, including Dwyane Wade.

Wade took some time on Wednesday morning to send a heartfelt shout-out to Bryant on Instagram. In his message, Wade noted that he was sad to see Bryant retire.

Just remember… these are two of the best shooting guards in NBA history. They went at it for years on the hardwood.

 

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“Black Mamba 🐍!!! I remember watching him closely in high school, college and the NBA,” Wade wrote in his Instagram post to Bryant. “This dude was UnReal! I remember the day I heard he was retiring, and selfishly, I thought, ‘Nooooooo. Who will i have to chase? Who's stats will I check as soon as my game ends?' I knew inside I’ll never be the same when he retired. A lot of y’all forget very easy that this dude was an absolute BEAST! @kobebryant thank you for your greatness!”

Wade is right to say that Bryant — an 18-time All-Star and five-time champion — was a beast. In a whopping 1,346 games played, Bryant racked up averages of 25.0 points on 44.7 percent shooting from the field (32.9 percent from beyond the arc), 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.4 steals in 36.1 minutes per outing.

Without a doubt, Wade and Bryant still have a lot of respect for one another.