Kobe Bryant went down as one of the greatest players in NBA history, and a big reason for it was just how obsessed he was with basketball. Bryant had a relentless work ethic, and he would go to any lengths in order to get better and win.
That obsession with the game may have caused some issues with certain teammates, but it also proved to be helpful when he was growing up. When asked by a kid how he managed to stay out of trouble during middle school, Bryant hilariously stated he just played basketball.
“Playing basketball all day,” Kobe said. “I did my homework and most of the time, because I wanted to play basketball as soon as I got him from school, so I would do my homework during lunch. So when I went home I didn’t have to do it. So, I would just do it real quick, do what I had to in school, then when I go home, I used to play basketball again.”
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He played basketball all the time but ensured that his school duties were taken care of as well, which was important. The fact that he would do his homework during lunch so that he’d have more time to play when he got back home shows just how much he loved the game.
Kobe actually started playing basketball when he was 3 years old and began playing seriously when he was in Italy. The family returned to the U.S. when Bryant was 13 and he then enrolled at Bala Cynwyd Middle School. He was an unknown commodity, having just returned from overseas but made quite an impact there and, not too long after, was dominating the competition at Lower Merion High School.
Kobe Bryant Wanted To Be The Greatest Basketball Player Ever When He Was A Teenager
Stephen Jackson was drafted in 1997, just a year after Bryant, so he knew who Kobe was at a young age, as they were in the high school circuit at the same time. When Jackson was asked what made Kobe different, he stated that while they were all having fun and wanted new shoes, Bryant had just one thing in his mind, to be the greatest ever.
Jackson stated that there was no one else during that era who had that kind of mindset and that Kobe had the will to win and be great that couldn’t be taught.
He would, of course, go on to win five championships and two Finals MVPs during a storied career in which he averaged 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, and 0.5 BPG. There probably won’t ever be another like him in the NBA.
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