“Best Version of Yourself”: Kobe Bryant’s Daughter Natalia Once Spoke on Carrying Father’s Legacy

Kobe Bryant wanted the Mamba Mentality to not just remain with him as a trait. He wanted it to touch and transform lives and careers. He tried to inculcate the mindset in his teammates and pass it on to his family as well.

Natalia Bryant has been attempting to carry that torch ever since her father tragically passed in 2020. She spoke about what Mamba Mentality meant to her in a 2023 interview with Elle. Natty has been finding success in multiple fields outside of sports.

She’s been a model for Versace and is currently studying film at one of the best film schools in the United States: The University of Southern California. And the daughter of the NBA legend does have that competitive Bryant blood in her heart. She aims to make him proud by continuing to be her best self even at the worst of times.

“I want to make sure that mentality stays intact, because it can be so easy to give up on yourself when things get tough,” Natalia told Elle at the time. “You have to remind yourself that with positivity and resilience, you can do anything.”

Most pertinent of it all, Natalia knows the most important lesson that Mamba Mentality can teach. “Mamba mentality is about constantly trying to be the best version of yourself,” Natalia stated. “It’s putting your best foot forward at all times regardless of all the noise.

It is no surprise that Natalia was able to speak so eloquently about the mindset that helped her dad secure five NBA titles. After all, it was an 11-year-old Natty who taught Kobe a valuable lesson on how to be clutch during a game’s most stressful moments.

Natalia’s math test analogy lesson for dad Kobe

Back in 2014, Bryant spoke with the New York Times and revealed an incredible lesson that his daughter Natalia taught him about dealing with pressure. Was it a basketball analogy? Perhaps how to apply a full-court press? Nope.

A math test is what got through to the Mamba.

“I started thinking that once you take a math test, it’s done. I’m going to wake up the next day,” Kobe recalled his daughter telling him. He then hammered the point home in his own words. “It may be a good day, it may be a bad one, but the cycle continues, no matter what happens on the math test.”

It’s been five years since Kobe and Gianna’s tragic passing. But the Mamba’s legacy has carried on, and is in good hands with his wife Vanessa and daughter Natalia.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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