Kobe Bryant still had plenty to learn about the game of basketball when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers as an 18-year-old, but the young Mamba had even more to learn about life. Bryant revealed how he took Magic Johnson’s HIV diagnosis as a warning to himself for his own career. He didn’t want to make the same mistakes.
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Magic’s newsworthy announcement in 1991 deeply impacted a 13-year-old Kobe Bryant. The future Laker already knew about the difficulties, expectations, hazards, and the many temptations in Los Angeles that could keep him from achieving his ultimate goal. But he committed to avoiding the temptations that led to the premature ending of Johnson’s career.
“With me, it’s simple,” Bryant told Roland Lazenby for Showboat: The Life of Kobe Bryant, “because there’s a lot I want to accomplish in my life.” This powerful sentiment came just before Bryant waltzed onto the court and easily claimed the 1997 Dunk Contest, further igniting his competitive fire.
For the most part, Bryant was seemingly able to avoid the temptations that cost Magic the end of his prime. Just two years after his Dunk Contest victory, Kobe embarked on a three-peat with the Lakers, forever enshrining himself as a legend with the historic franchise.
Kobe’s emphasis on avoiding temptations and distractions while focusing on hard work carried him throughout his Hall-of-Fame career. “Mamba Mentality” became a catalyst for what would eventually become five championships to Bryant’s name.
Kobe Bryant believed in consistency with any goal
Kobe Bryant was nominated to 17 straight All-Star Games, and while the last couple may have been undeserved following his Achilles tear, he was the epitome of a perennial All-Star. His consistency in everything he practiced and put his mind to led to over a decade of unmatched excellence.
Bryant also talked about the importance of working consistently toward a goal on the Jay Shetty Podcast. The late legend explained how consistency has been lost on much of the young generation but pinned the blame on the parents for not instilling it in them.
“So, like, the consistency of work. Monday, get better. Tuesday, get better. Wednesday, get better, right. And you do that over a period of time,” Kobe explained. “You know, not one month or two months. I mean, it’s three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten years and then you get to where you wanna go.”
Bryant’s ability to take his advice led to him becoming one of the faces of the NBA for nearly 20 years. Without his consistent work ethic, he knows he never would have become the basketball icon that he is.
