The late NBA legend Kobe Bryant was one of a kind. Coming into the league as an 18-year-old, many were doubtful if the Lakers made the right choice by trading for him on draft night.
Soon enough, Kobe proved that he had a work ethic that no one could ever match. He would be the first one to come to practice and be the last one to leave. By doing so, he simply mastered his craft which gave him an edge over his opponents.
There was a stigma around the league that Kobe never wanted to pass the ball to his teammates. While most viewed it as an act of selfishness, Bryant once explained the reason behind it was due to the mediocre work ethic of his teammates.
Kobe had an insane work ethic, and even towards the end of his career, when he was clearly out of his prime, he never gave up on training harder than everybody on the team.
Former Lakers Coach Was Shocked By Kobe Bryant’s Work Ethic
Last month, the former coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, Byron Scott, invited 7-time NBA champion Robert Horry to his podcast. The two talked about a lot of things and evidently ended up sharing a few stories about Kobe Bryant as well.
Scott, in particular, remembers that during the last year of his Lakers’ tenure, he was surprised by Kobe texting him at 4 AM.
(Starts at 22:28):
“That last year I coached him. He would text me at like 4 in the morning. Like, ‘Coach what we doing for practice tomorrow?’ And I would wake up at 6 like what the f**k are you texting me at 4 in the morning for, man? I was like ‘Kobe do you sleep?’ and he’s straight like this ‘No not really.'”
This story about Kobe was when he was in the final season of his NBA career. But still wanted to continue to train like he used to do when he was young.
In the same interview, Scott also revealed what Kobe was like as a rookie. Well, as you’d expect, he was even more fierce and wanted to be better than everyone else. For most parts, he succeeded in that goal and left an unforgettable legacy.
