- Kobe Bryant was not invited to weekend parties and friendly gatherings as a kid
- Bryant felt it was the best thing that ever happened to him
- It helped him discover his hunger and desire to be the best player he could be
Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest players in NBA history, but he wasn’t a very popular figure growing up. Bryant revealed that he was not invited to social events when he was younger, but he made great use of all that free time he had on his hands.
“I wasn’t invited to parties or friendly gatherings on a weekend,” Bryant said. “So, on Fridays and Saturdays, I would go in my rec room with my basketball and basically dribble myself to sleep and I think that was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Because during those lonely hours in the rec room, I discovered the hunger, the motivation, and the desire to be the best possible basketball player that I could be.”
A 17 year old Kobe Bryant on his “lonely hours” pic.twitter.com/n5IEOrNGmA
— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) September 5, 2023
As a kid, it wouldn’t have been easy to be excluded from those gatherings. Bryant found solace in basketball and just kept working on his game, something that helped him years down the road.
Kobe Bryant Had No Friends When He Moved To Italy
Bryant would actually spend a significant portion of his childhood in Italy. His father, Joe, was a professional basketball player himself, of course, and after playing in the NBA for eight seasons for the 76ers, Clippers, and Rockets, he headed over to Italy to continue his career.
Kobe would end up staying in Italy for around seven years, and it wasn’t always pretty for him over there. Bryant shared that he had no friends when he lived in Italy. He didn’t speak Italian, but through the power of sports, he was able to eventually make some friends. He still spent a lot of time alone, though, which was quite unfortunate.
Kobe Bryant’s Mentality As A Teenager
Stephen Jackson competed against Bryant for many years in the NBA, and the two were also playing at the high school level at around the same time. Jackson got to see a lot of Bryant when he was in his teens and felt Kobe was different from the rest.
Jackson revealed that Bryant was thinking about being the best basketball player of all time when he was a teenager. He stated that other kids at the time were into things like new shoes and having fun, but Kobe wasn’t bothered about any of that.
Bryant may not have succeeded in that goal of his to be the greatest player ever, but he wasn’t too far off in the end. Kobe would average an impressive 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 20 incredible seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He won five NBA championships, two Finals MVPs, and an MVP along the way in what was a spectacular career. It speaks to just how amazing he was, that there are many who do consider him to be the greatest.
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