Kobe Bryant’s evolution in the NBA was a memorable one. He went from being this kid willing to go at it against anybody, always showing his competitiveness, and finished his career the same way but a lot wiser. The Black Mamba taught us a lot of lessons over the years, especially when it came to trying until you succeed.
He was one of the fiercest competitors in the league and he always carried that with him. Kobe was always trying to find a way to get better and he was convinced that hard work and relentlessness will always pay off for you. Back in 2014, the director of his “Kobe Bryant’s Muse” documentary shared some of the things he learned from the Black Mamba. Gotham Chopra revealed how Kobe reacted to Deron Williams going 0-for-9 during a game.
The Los Angeles Lakers explained it would have been easier for him to go 0-for-30 since 0-for-9 means you just gave up on yourself. Via UPROXX:
Gotham Chopra, the director of “Kobe Bryant’s Muse”, an upcoming documentary on Bryant, told a story about being with Kobe and watching the Nets and the Heat play. Recounts Chopra, “Deron Williams went like 0-for-9. I was like, ‘Can you believe Deron Williams went 0-9?’ Kobe was like, ‘I would go 0-30 before I would go 0-9. 0-9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game, because Deron Williams can get more shots in the game. The only reason is because you’ve just now lost confidence in yourself.’
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This totally sounds like Kobe and we all know he would have followed that route if he found himself in the same position Williams was at the time. This man left a lot of lessons not only for basketball players but people in general. If you want to be good at something, you must try hard and never give up.
That totally worked for him, as he sadly left this world as a 5x NBA champion and one of the best players to ever step foot on a basketball court.
