“Basketball will not bring you joy”: When Kobe Bryant’s incredible speech on happiness inspired a young LeBron James prior to his NBA career

Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s incredible words of wisdom inspired a young LeBron James well ahead of his NBA career

 

In many ways, LeBron James has continued the legacy of Kobe Bryant and his mentality as a Laker, since he started playing in LA.

Sure, the two players have some serious differences in countless different categories. However, throughout their careers, both individuals sought winning over all else and were prepared to do just about anything to achieve it.

One thing that goes criminally unnoticed though, is the burnout the sport can bring athletes. At the end of the day, no matter how great your passion may be, if you spend enough time on it, you’re bound to reach a dead end.

Of course, this fact rings especially true for competitors like the King and the Mamba. So how did they find their way around it?

Well, we don’t know about Kobe. However, LeBron James’s story is a very interesting one. And it’s the kind that you’re going to want to hear.

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Kobe Bryant’s speech on happiness inspired a young LeBron James

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant crossed paths on more than just a few occasions. However, the first time one of them made a life-changing difference to the other wasn’t in the NBA. Nope, it was at a basketball camp, where James was in the summer ahead of his junior year, while the Mamba was 22-years-old.

At the time, the Lakers man already had two all-star appearances under his belt. So, needless to say, all the young players at the camp had some massive respect for him, and even looked to take some of his moves. For the King though, something else stuck out to him entirely. Here is what Matt Sullivan had to say in ‘Can’t Knock the Hustle’ on the topic.

“Don’t rely on basketball for your happiness, because it’s not gonna happen.

Make sure you balance your life out, you have something there for yourself in life, so when the game is over, you know exactly what you want to do.”

First off, we’d like to acknowledge the fact that this is just a 22-year-old saying this.

Second, there probably aren’t truer words on this planet. In fact, you don’t even have to be an athlete for this to apply to you.

At the end of the day, even the things you’re passionate about can burn you out. So it’s very important to have that balance to keep going.

Have that balance, heed the great Mamba’s words, and no state of burnout will ever be able to hold you down.

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