“Kobe Bryant, do you sleep man?”: Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar teammate was stunned by 38 y/o’s work ethic

Kobe Bryant never knew how to take a day off from basketball which surprises even the ones who have played with multiple all-time greats.

The work ethic that The Black Mamba had is no secret to the world. For the entire 20-year-long career he had, Kobe was a gym rat.

And by gym we mean the practice courts of the Staple’s Center (now Crypto.com Arena), which was the second home for the 5x NBA champ.

Even his teammates and coaches, much like his idol Michael Jordan’s, grew sick of how less he valued other things in life compared to basketball.

Also read: 5x Champion Kobe Bryant advised LeBron James to treat every practice like a game 7 so that he wins more

And so, the 18x All-Star most of the time used to forget the boundaries that keep a man sane and allow him to keep his professional and personal life separate.

When he used to do so, he would forget that he is the only one in that zone and expected his teammates and coaches to be there with him as well.

Former Lakers coach remembers Kobe Bryant texting him at 4 in the morning

Byron Scott, who played with the likes of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy and won 3 Championships with them, knew the work ethic of all-time greats pretty well.

But what he saw in Kobe after becoming the coach of the LA Lakers in 2014 was something he had never seen before. You must be wondering that it was the last two years of an injury troubled Bryant.

After maxing out by year 18, even injuries couldn’t stop that man from giving it all in the last couple of years. His former coach tells a story from 2016, which was his last year as a coach as well as Bryant’s last year in the NBA.

Kobe really gave it all he had for the love of sport and for his hunger to achieve the greatness of MJ. And even when it looked pretty impossible he didn’t just give up on everything and let his body heal in a normal rehabilitation process like everyone else.

Till his last day in the league, The Mamba didn’t let that mentality drop off even for one day. It had become his lifestyle. And even after his retirement, that work ethic stuck with him until he was here.

Also read: 6’9″ LeBron James Has Scored More Points In The Playoffs Than The Duo Of Shaquille O’Neal And Kobe Bryant

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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