On August 23, a significant occasion is marked on the calendars of basketball fans all around the world: it is the birthday of one of the basketball greats and icons, the late Kobe Bryant, who would have turned 45 today. His impactful journey led to the city of Los Angeles declaring August 24 as ‘Mamba Day‘ in order to honour the legacy of one of the greatest basketball players of all time. As Kobe Bryant was preparing to play his last game for the Lakers, the Los Angeles City Council declared August 24th to be Kobe Bryant Day for the impact he has had during his basketball career on the City of LA. On this special occasion, “All the Smoke” shared a resurfaced video of Kobe Bryant talking about a ‘kill list’ he had when he was 13 years old.
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This Kobe Bryant Day marks six years since our LA City Council declared 8/24 “Kobe Bryant Day”. Kobe’s 20-year career with the @Lakers ranks him No. 1 all-time for NBA players who played for a single franchise. That’s dedication! pic.twitter.com/yHR9y6EzKk
— City of Los Angeles (@LACity) August 24, 2022
Kobe Bryant’s competitive nature was instilled in him much before he started playing basketball. Spending his childhood in Italy, Bryant’s competitive edge was honed by living in a foreign country, among people who spoke a language foreign to him. These years set the perfect stage for his NBA greatness, which was driven largely by his competitive edge and mentality.
All the Smoke posts a heartfelt tribute to Kobe Bryant
On Mamba Day, a day honoring Kobe Bryant’s legacy, the podcast “All The Smoke” posted a poignant tribute to the basketball legend. All the Smoke, a podcast which is known for candid conversations, posted a snippet from Kobe’s interaction with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes in 2020.
One of the most memorable moments of the clip was when they started talking about Kobe’s ‘kill list.’ When asked about this, Kobe said:
“(People) ranked higher, cause going into my sophomore year, I was probably ranked somewhere in like probably top 200..Something like that. And then it kinda went up. Hundred, fifty and then by the time I was a senior, it hit number one. JO, Jermaine (O’Neal) was up there. Lester Earl, Shaheen Holloway, Corey Benjamin, Mike Bibby. It was fun getting to know everybody…”
He was then asked about Rip Hamilton, about whom Kobe said:
“Rip and I (Kobe) were nobodies, so he went to the Coatesville and I went to the Lower Merion, we were nobodies & we were in the same AAU team, so we are very close. I am sure he might have his own killer list as well”
According to Kobe’s description, the relationship he shared with Rip Hamilton was much like a brotherhood than a rivalry on the court.
Kobe Bryant’s unstoppable move to prevent shot blocks
Kobe Bryant always looked up to Michael Jordan not as a competitor but as an elder brother/mentor. Bryant has often admitted that he modeled his game and work ethic to Jordan’s. So much so, that Kobe tried to perfect his shot so that defenders would be unable to block it. While in a gym, Kobe shared one of the key secrets to never getting his shot blocked:
“The science of it is that you wanna be on balance while you’re going up. After that, you might or you might do whatever, but going up, you want to have a firm base. Having firm footing before elevating for the shot helps you have a balanced core, increasing your chances of taking a better shot and in turn, preventing it from getting blocked.”
Taking cues from legends like Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and others, Kobe Bryant developed a phenomenal shot, especially in the mid-range. Often known as one of the best mid-range scorers in NBA history, Bryant’s shotmaking propelled him to a three-peat and as one of the faces of the league.
