Kobe Bryant was well-known for being intensely hard on his teammates. Yet, sometimes this ‘scary’ intensity was seen as a sign of respect!
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The Black Mamba is one of the most memorable athletes in sports history. This is primarily down to his legendary status as a basketballer, but also due to his amazing mentality.
Kobe valued hard work and some would say he was the living embodiment of it. It was this hard work that propelled him to become a five-time NBA Champion and a Hall of Famer.
Anyone can tell you just how driven he was to succeed in the game and it was this mentality that inspired a whole generation of young ballers!
However, the “Mamba Mentality” didn’t just belong to Kobe. It sometimes extended to his teammates, shocking them and at times even inspiring them.
Kobe Bryant paid respect to Jodie Meeks by indirectly scaring the hell out of him
In the early 2000s, the LA Lakers were one of the toughest teams to be on. Primarily because players would have to be around Kobe Bryant. The first person to enter the gym and the last to leave.
Sometimes there were players who stepped up to the challenge, and one late night, during the off-season, that player was Jodie Meeks.
The former NBA guard came into workout late one night and checked to see if no one was around. When he was done two hours later, he was surprised to see Kobe walk in on him, giving him a scare!
Turns out the Laker legend was there the entire time. He would go on to praise Meeks, telling him how much he respected him and his dedication to the craft.
This just goes to show, if you wanted to impress Kobe, all you had to do was show your dedication to the sport through hard work, both on and off the court.
