LeBron James must be the smartest worker of all NBA legends but Kobe Bryant perhaps possessed the greatest work ethic that the league had ever seen, with Michael Jordan being the only parallel equivalent.
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The five-time NBA champion was a renowned figure due to his impeccable mettle and skillset that aligns perfectly for someone with the aspiration that the ‘Black Mamba’ held.
Over the course of his playing career, Bryant had come across numerous stars, that had gone on to etch their footprint in the game’s history. The likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Tracy McGrady, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, and so on and so forth.
None like the pair of Michael Jordan and LeBron James however. In the wake of his retirement, Bryant gave James a piece of advice that the ‘King’ no doubt holds dear to his heart.
Kobe Bryant’s last advice to LeBron James
Someone with the body of work that LeBron James holds to his name, more often that does not require any guidance from an external source. But given the fact that when someone of the credibility of Bryant speaks, best believe that James will tune in.
Preliminary to his untimely demise, Bryant in his book spoke about James with the pair discussing what encompasses a ‘killer mentality. ‘Bean’ shared a glaring word of advice to the ‘King’ who although was successful, had faced his share of failures.
Bryant stated-
“Well the message is always to go out there and dominate. There’s no let up. Once the game starts and once the practice begins, you’re in that mode. Where everything is a ‘Game 7’. And when you approach every practice and every game with that kind of mentality, it bleeds into the rest of the guys. And then the rest of the unit has that same approach and that same intensity, but it starts at the top.”
Bryant’s emphasis on approaching the game, indifferent to the circumstance, be it a practice session or a ‘Game 7’, is precisely the reason he was a bonafide winner.
Not to mention, when one views the game as such, it’s hard to not emerge victorious.
The ‘Mamba Mentality’
‘Mamba Mentality’ is no longer merely a phrase. It’s a statement that embodies the very best each individual can offer themselves in the most trying times in life.
Bryant throughout his career was a beacon of hope for his supporters, due to the way he approached his life: Dominate. The former NBA MVP was eager to reign supreme in each facet of life, regardless of what he was participating in.
It’s his stellar approach that enabled him to be ranked in arguably the ‘Top five’ greatest players to have played the game of basketball. A peripheral legend of the NBA!
