By any measure, Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game. The five-time NBA champion and 18-time All-Star made an astounding 15 All-NBA teams during his 20-year career. But what Bryant may well end up being remembered for most isn’t any specific feat he accomplished on the court. It’s the Mamba Mentality, his own personal method of becoming the best possible version of himself.
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The Mamba Mentality has transcended basketball, and even sports itself. You constantly hear high-performing people from all walks of life crediting the Mamba Mentality as a secret to their success, and for that, Kobe will always live on.
New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge once gave Kobe credit for indirectly helping him become one of the best power hitters in baseball.
“The Mamba Mentality is something that I strive to do every single night. It helps me lock in when I play the game. I tap into that other side of things. I can shift between Aaron and No. 99. You kind of make that shift.”
That was back in the summer of 2022, and Judge has only gotten better since then. He went on to belt 62 home runs that season on the way to his first MVP award. He followed that with 37 more homers despite missing 56 games with an injury in 2023. During his second MVP campaign last year, in which he led the league with 58 homers and 144 runs batted in, he led the Yankees to their first World Series appearance in 15 years.
Judge lost All-Star teammate Juan Soto this winter to the crosstown rival Mets, but even without the protection of Soto hitting behind him, Judge has proven throughout his career that he’s one of the best hitters in the game regardless of who else is in the Yankees lineup.
Aaron Judge is just one of the top athletes that credit the Mamba Mentality for their success
Tennis star Naomi Osaka has continually credited Kobe as being one of her biggest inspirations on the court.
“I think, for me, I always wear Kobe jerseys after matches and practices because I feel like a little bit, like, I can kind of keep his spirit with me.”
Kobe’s impact even cuts through the NBA’s greatest rivalry, as Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics has spoken throughout his career of how he idolized the Lakers legend growing up. Tatum even has a Mamba-inspired tattoo on his leg that features two snakes forming Kobe’s jersey number of 24.
Kobe may have been taken from the world far too soon, but he’s still guiding the next generation of athletes through the Mamba mentality. On and off the court, his legacy is secure.
