Mental fortitude is one of the most overlooked aspects of a great athlete. Kobe Bryant was a maestro on the basketball court, but his most impressive ability came in the form of his mindset. He never let the words of others sway him from performing, even when they came from his teammates.
Advertisement
Basketball enthusiasts across the world have adopted Bryant’s infamous ‘Mamba Mentality’. The concept of thinking that way sounds all fine and dandy until it comes to living by it.
Of course, it took time for Bryant to hone his mentality, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t mentally strong. The Los Angeles Lakers’ dynasty in the early 2000s would convince any NBA fan that there weren’t any problems. But on the contrary, there were way too many issues, including the veterans and older players not respecting Kobe.
John Salley played for the Lakers during the 1999-2000 season. This was the first year of LA’s three-peat. He revealed an instance where he experienced firsthand Bryant’s unique method to deal with negativity.
“Ty Lue and Ron Harper were sitting there talking s**t,” Salley said in an interview with DJ Vlad.
The incident happened while they were on the team plane. There were walls dividing the players, so Lue and Harper believed nobody else heard their comments. Not only did Bryant hear, but so did Salley.
“I said, ‘You hear them talking s**t about you.’ He goes, ‘I hear everything, Sal.’ I said, ‘What are you doing?’ He goes, ‘Acting like I’m listening to music so they don’t think I’m paying attention,” Salley said.
Bryant understood that if he were to react, it would lead to a full-blown altercation on the plane. Those words from his teammates didn’t hold much weight since he had a strong sense of identity. Nothing anyone could say would change that. A sentiment, which Salley adamantly believes.
“Kobe took it all in stride, man. He knew he was going to be who he was,” Salley proclaimed.
And who did Bryant turn out to be? A five-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, 18-time All-Star, and Hall-of-Famer, among many more accolades. In other words, one of the greatest players of all time.
His ability to place his attention toward things that truly mattered explains why he experienced such high levels of success. An exemplary example to current and future NBA players on how to achieve greatness on basketball’s biggest stage.
