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Kobe Bryant ‘s $600 million net worth couldn’t make him blind enough to celebrate meaningless victories, ask his Lakers teammates

Akash Murty
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Watching Kobe Bryant cry, that was sad!": Nick Young remembers the Black Mamba and his final moments as a Laker

Kobe Bryant was nothing if not hungry for victories. The Lakers legend thrived off of success and hated failure like no other.

Every NBA fan knows that one thing Kobe Bryant hated the most. Even if they hadn’t seen him play in his prime, they know he hated losing even more than his idol Michael Jordan.

In the world, the Lakers legend lived in, which was run by Mamba mentality there was no scope for failure. He was too harsh for his opponents, his own teammates, and even his own self.

The man resented loss like nobody else and always came back with a vengeance whenever he suffered one. But by 2013 his body had given up, his knees were juiced out and it was pretty clear he should have left the game when the time was right.

2013 Playoffs were the last, Bryant would be able to drag his team to the Playoffs averaging 27.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6 assists. But he wouldn’t be able to play in the last Playoffs the LA franchise will be playing in the next 6 years due to surgery on his torn Achilles Tendon that he tore just before the Playoffs.

That and a few more injuries in his knees, feet, and back allowed him to play just a combined 41 games in the next two seasons. Both seasons Lakers finished at the bottom of the Western Conference and Kobe could be publicly seen dissing about it.

Also read: Michael Jordan and LeBron James don’t make the ‘most points’ list in any decade; Kobe Bryant and Wilt present though

When his Lakers teammates’ actions disappointed Kobe Bryant on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

In 2015, Bryant was side-lined for the remaining season after a shoulder injury in January. The Lakers were in the bottom four of the league that season and were on an 8-game losing streak.

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s show around the same time, the five-time NBA champion was shown a clip of his teammates Nick Young and Jordan Hill crashing Jeremy Lin’s post-game interview after their victory against the Boston Celtics just after that losing streak. His reaction was priceless.

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The man had a net worth of $300 million by then and a resume that not even 10 people in the history of the NBA could argue to have a better one, but still he hated losses much like the way he did when he started chasing his idol since coming into the NBA back in 1996.

He would retire a year later and would go on to do a lot more things other than basketball to expand Bryant’s name as a father and a children’s book writer and filmmaker.

He would double his net worth to $600 million in 2022 but wouldn’t be here to see it as he would pass away in a heart-wrecking helicopter crash, carrying him, his daughter Gianna and 8 more people with them in January 2020.

Also read: In a viral clip, 7-foot DJ Shaq shows Luka Doncic how to shoot at a party in Croatia

About the author

Akash Murty

Akash Murty

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An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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