Kobe Bryant was known as one of the fiercest competitors in the NBA throughout his Hall of Fame career. The Mamba’s intense personality and insatiable desire to win led to five championships, but that same personality also made it hard for him to truly bond with others. Kobe once admitted he couldn’t be a great friend.
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Unsurprisingly, Bryant shared he was too focused on basketball to commit meaningful time to building relationships. He said he had friends and enjoyed spending time with like-minded people, but he acknowledged that people in Los Angeles often put their work first.
“I’ve been fortunate to play in Los Angeles, where there are a lot of people like me. Actors. Musicians. Businessmen. Obsessives. People who feel like God put them on earth to do whatever it is that they do,” Bryant explained in a 2015 interview with GQ.
“Now, do we have time to build great relationships? Do we have time to build great friendships? No. Do we have time to socialize and to hang out aimlessly? No. Do we want to do that? No. We want to work. I enjoy working.”
Bryant admitted that most of his friends were like him, too obsessed with excelling in their craft to mind the day-to-day affairs of friendship. He wasn’t one to remember someone’s birthday, but Kobe knew his friends understood that and were often the same way with their work.
“Being a ‘great friend’ is something I will never be. I can be a good friend,” the five-time champion continued. “But in terms of having one of those great, bonding friendships—that’s something I will probably never have. And it’s not some smug thing. It’s a weakness.”
The Lakers legend shared that he had always stuck to himself, dating back to his childhood. Considering he was often forced to move around with his father, he was unable to create lasting bonds with other children who already knew each other.
“When I was growing up in Italy, I grew up in isolation. It was not an environment suited to me. I was the only black kid. I didn’t speak the language. I’d be in one city, but then we’d move to a different city, and I’d have to do everything again… So this is how I grew up, and these are the weaknesses that I have,” he continued.
Kobe Bryant once joked about having no friends
During his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live back in 2018, Bryant joked that he had no friends after the host questioned him on the matter. “No, zero. I hate people,” he said with a smile. But when Kimmel brought up his relationship with Michael Jordan, Kobe provided a more serious response.
Kobe referred to MJ as a good mentor and like a big brother to him. Even then, he admitted he only spoke to the Bulls icon “every once in a while.” Bryant wasn’t the best at keeping people close to him, but it’s possible he never would have seen the level of success that he did in the league if he had stopped being himself.
