In today’s NBA, several stars don’t think twice before “load managing”. A term popularised by Kawhi Leonard’s extended absence on the hardwood, Kobe Bryant was one such athlete who hated the idea of resting without a solid reason. The Black Mamba was known for being a relentless competitor and despised others who didn’t share the same level of commitment to the game. In an old interview, the Los Angeles Lakers legend expressed his resentment towards players who didn’t play when they were healthy. Bryant even gave an example of his injured back not preventing him from battling Vince Carter.
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We’ve seen some of the league’s biggest players sit out for a few not-so-competitive games in order to give their bodies a rest. Over the course of an exhausting 82-game season, players sit out for multiple games at numerous stretches owing to “load management”. Apart from Kawhi Leonard, guys such as Anthony Davis, Zion Williamson, and Kyrie Irving are also infamous for opting to rest. However, Kobe Bryant was against this practice.
An injured Kobe Bryant matched up against Vince Carter
Similar to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant was one such player who wouldn’t sit out any game without a valid reason. As also mentioned by Vanessa Bryant during Kobe’s Hall-of-Fame enshrinement, Bryant would not deprive any fan of the opportunity to watch him play. In an old interview, a clip posted on NBA Celeb Update’s tweet, Kobe spoke about the importance of being in shape every single night. Fans spend huge amounts to watch their favorite stars in action. According to Bryant, it was the players’ duty to be strong enough to perform every single night.
“You got a lot of people paying their hard-earned money to come watch you perform. It’s your job to be in shape. It’s your job to be strong enough to perform at that level every single night. And as a competitor, I’m not ducking sh*t.”
As a competitor, the 6-foot-6 Shooting Guard wasn’t going to allow injuries to prevent him from going up against his opponents. While talking about the same load management topic, Bryant gave an example from early on in his career. At one point in 2000, Kobe’s back was “spasming”. However, he didn’t want to give the naysayers any opportunity for criticism. Hence, Bryant decided to suit up against an in-form Vince Carter.
“We had a game against Toronto in 2000 and Vince was tearing the league up. My back was jacked. Like the perception of that ‘Kobe’s missing a game against Toronto’ because my back was really spasming. But people only like ‘what? Oh, he’s ducking Vince’. Excuse me? No, I don’t think so. So I’ll be in the layup line like ‘okay, there’s a lot of days where you can rest and recover, today ain’t that one of them’.”
Today, several players sit out of games despite being fully fit. However, Jayson Tatum emulates a Kobe Bryant-like mentality and suits up for as many games as possible.
Like Kobe, Jayson Tatum also doesn’t promote load managing
Jayson Tatum recently went viral for his inspirational rant against load management. While giving some young hoopers advice, the Boston Celtics star stated that he would play every single game, despite the magnitude of its interest. Take a look at JT’s speech in ClutchPoints’ tweet.
“I don’t decide, ‘We playing the Hornets tonight, I’m a chill.’ I only get to go to Charlotte two times a year. Somebody paid they money to come watch me play. Like, not trying to be arrogant, there’s a bunch of kids in there in my shoes and my jersey. Just because we playing Charlotte on NBA League Pass on a Monday and ain’t nobody f**king watching, I’m like ‘Oh, I’m chilling tonight.’ That’s not what the great players, the best players do.”
The former Duke Blue Devil has barely missed games during his six-year career. So far, out of a possible 482 games, the Forward has suited up for 439 contests (91% of all games).
