The Mamba Mentality wasn’t just a trait that Kobe Bryant possessed. It was a mindset that he tried to teach to his teammates and pass on to his family. 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 during a 2023 interview with Elle.
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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. Still, the daughter of the NBA legend does have that competitive Bryant blood in her heart and 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,” she said to Elle at the time. “You have to remind yourself that with positivity and resilience you can do anything.” Most importantly, 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 makes sense why Natalia is able to speak so elegantly about the mindset that helped her dad secure five NBA titles. Funnily enough, it was an 11-year-old Natty that taught Kobe a valuable lesson on how to be clutch during a game’s most stressful moments.
A math test isn’t the same as the 4th quarter in a Game 7, but that’s why this lesson from Natalia works
Back in 2014, Kobe 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 Vanessa and Natalia.
