Only the most talented athletes make it to the top of the NBA, but talent alone isn’t enough. For a player to be truly elite, they have to be willing to put in work in ways that no one else does. And Kobe Bryant was perhaps the epitome of that.
Gilbert Arenas recently spoke about the hardest-working players he ever saw in the NBA. And Kobe Bryant was obviously on the list, along with two other greats.
“The game’s at seven, the earliest person in is around five o’clock,” Arenas said. “I get there at three, and sure enough, he’s out there full f**king sweat working like it’s a Game 7. We’re not like getting shots up. He’s going through a full workout, and then he goes on to play this game.
“I’ve been to the gym three o’clock from my second year all the way. I’ve only seen multiple (players), Kobe, Ray Allen, and Steve Nash a little bit.”
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Kobe Bryant was legendary for his work ethic, and this wasn’t the only time he inspired Gilbert Arenas either. Arenas would end up training with a former Black Ops member after hearing that Bryant was doing the same later in his career.
The stories of Bryant just going all out in practice are legendary, and it makes sense. That’s what it takes to be one of the greatest and win five championships and two Finals MVPs and end up 4th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Kobe Bryant Inspired The Next Generation Of Stars Like LeBron James And Dwyane Wade
By the late 2000s, Kobe Bryant was arguably the most accomplished player in the NBA. He had won the MVP, led the league in scoring twice, won three championships already, and was on his way to winning two more. During this time, he was also on the Redeem Team, where his routine inspired the next generation of greats like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony.
Carlos Boozer: “Come back to the hotel about 5:30 or 6 in the morning, and guess who’s in the lobby on his way to the gym?”
Carmelo Anthony: “Kobe is downstairs in the lobby, with his bag, and his sneakers, and his gloves, like weightlifting gloves.”
Dwyane Wade: “And in my mind, I’m like, ‘What the f**k?'”
LeBron James: “This motherf***er Kobe was already drenched in sweat and we was like, ‘Yeah, he different.'”
Carlos Boozer: “Like we’re all talking together like, this guy is really dedicated. Next thing you know, it goes from just Kobe going at. 5:30 in the morning, to LeBron and DWade. And before long, the whole team was on Kobe’s schedule.”
Achieving immense success at the highest level is something only a handful can ever manage, and there is no substitute for hard work when it comes to getting there. Every NBA superstar has worked incredibly hard to earn that title, but Kobe Bryant should be among those mentioned the most.
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