LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant once again showcased the ‘Mamba Mentality’ when he asked his trainer to pop his dislocated finger back in mid-game.
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Kobe Bryant was one of the best to ever to do it and is the greatest 2-guard since the 2000s. The Hall of Famer’s resume speaks for itself. Over a career that lasted 2 decades, he was a 4x Champion, 8x All-NBA First Team, and even made All-Defensive First Team seven times.
However, what set him apart from the rest of the competition, was that he was the ultimate competitor. The 18x All-Star’s competitive desire and toughness over his 20 seasons with the Lakers earned him the idea of ‘The Mamba Mentality.’
We all remember how he famously shot two free throws with a torn Achilles tendon. However, a lesser-known story that displayed his Mamba Mentality was in a regular-season game against the Spurs. So, what exactly happened? Read on and find out…
Kobe Bryant displays the Mamba Mentality once again.
Kobe Bryant defined Mamba Mentality as “to be able to constantly try to be the best version of yourself “and did just that during his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. One specific instance is in a regular-season game against the San Antonio Spurs.
With the game close in the 4th quarter, Kobe was scrambling to chase after a loose ball when his hand hit the ground awkwardly and dislocated his middle finger, leaving the superstar in writhing pain.
However, instead of checking out of the game, he walked over to his trainer Gary Vitti on the sideline, got him to pop his dislocated finger back into place, and then went back to playing basketball like nothing ever happened. Just check out the clip here:
Mind you, this is him at age 37, doing this. Wow! If there’s one person in this world who would do such a thing, it has to be Kobe ‘Bean’ Bryant. Despite it being his farewell season, there wasn’t a lack of competitiveness, and even a dislocated finger couldn’t stop the man.
Unfortunately, a 37-year-old Kobe couldn’t stop the Spurs, as the Lakers ended up falling 119-113 to the Spurs. Check out what he had to say at the post-game press conference:
Nowadays we see players sit out for absolutely nothing, and ‘load manage’, this incident just shows the true professional that Kobe Bryant was. A true testament to his greatness.
