Kobe Bryant is one of the smartest players to ever grace the hardwood. Bryant has always committed himself to be a ‘student’, as the Mamba would completely immerse himself in the learning process. But basketball wasn’t the only thing that Kobe was deeply engrossed in. He had always been a voracious reader and even wrote stories, poems, and commercials.
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With all the extra exposure, Kobe would evolve into a great orator, thinker, and philosopher too. During an interview with GQ Magazine, back in 2015, Bryant revealed his thoughts on ‘branding in the NBA’.
Talking to Chuck Klosterman of GQ Sports, Bryant would reveal that branding was a “modern form of storytelling”. Klosterman, who didn’t completely agree with Kobe’s definition, would insist on the fact branding always had a “commercial” aspect to it, as making money was the end goal. But Bryant wouldn’t agree with Klosterman’s view, as he told him,
“For some…But that’s not a universal thing. That’s like saying every wizard within Slytherin House is a villain.”
Even though Bryant might be right about their being exceptions, the truth isn’t too far from what Klosterman said. Bryant himself was a wealthy businessman, and most of his value came from the brand that he had built around himself. ‘The Kobe’s’, a line of basketball shoes from Nike, is based on the “Black Mamba” branding, an image that Kobe had built over the years in the league.
But regardless of whether Bryant built his brand for money, or just to tell a story, he surely wasn’t a huge fan of ‘fashion’. Talking to GQ, a 36- year old Bryant revealed that he had become “less fashion-forward”, and wasn’t looking to impersonate other younger guards like Russell Westbrook and Dwayne Wade, as doing so would make it look like a “practical joke” on his part.
Kobe was an ‘Oscar-winning’ artist
After Bryant retired in April of 2016, the basketball world was left with a gaping hole, as one of its biggest stars had finally hung it up. After 20 long seasons, Bryant was finally walking away, but he left basketball one last gift. A year before his retirement, Bryant would pen his goodbye to the sport, in a letter titled “Dear Basketball.” The letter would later be published in the Players Tribune, as the world slowly dealt with the shock of Bryant retiring.
But reading through his letter, it becomes obvious that Bryant loved basketball. Having been a writer for many years, Bryant beautifully articulated how the sport made him feel, and how even though he wants it, he can’t give the sport anymore.
Kobe wouldn’t sit idle after his retirement, as he would start to utilize his energy toward writing and producing. Bryant soon converted “Dear Basketball” into a short film, winning an Oscar for the same in 2018. He would also go on to write books such as ‘The Mamba Mentality‘, giving people a glance into his thought process and life.
Bryant even entered the world of ‘kids story books’, writing books such as Training Camp and Legacy and The Queen. Kobe would later reveal that the books were targeted at teaching young kids the truths of life, in a bid to equip the future generations with the right kind of wisdom.
