We will never see another competitor like Kobe Bryant. He redefined what it meant to compete at the highest level. He wanted to be treated like any other player, no matter his status. His teammates discovered this early on, during a practice when he was matched up against Shaquille O’Neal.
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Bryant didn’t learn what it means to be a competitor over time. It was something that he was born with. Even when he was 17, his teammates couldn’t comprehend his competitive edge.
One thing Kobe hated more than anything was when his teammates babied him. They didn’t do it with malicious intent; they had the young star’s best interest in mind. However, he made sure they knew what the best interest for him really was.
In a special conference at USC in 2018, Bryant spoke in-depth about the ‘Mamba Mentality.’ He recounted a specific incident involving former teammates Nick Van Exel and Shaq when the mentality came out.
“Basketball is such a direct competition sport,” Bryant said. “Shaq would hit me with an elbow in practice. Nick Van Exel will come up and say, ‘Are you okay?’ Motherf****r what?”
Bryant never backed down from a challenge. He thrived when his back was against the wall. His resilience throughout his 20-year NBA career is enough evidence.
Even as a rookie, Kobe showcased his legendary grit on the brightest stage.
Rookie Bryant once denied Shaq the ball
As great as Kobe was, there is no denying that O’Neal was the best player on the Lakers. The Hall-of-Fame big man was the most dominant player in NBA history. That didn’t matter to Kobe, who once denied Shaq the ball when he demanded it.
“[Shaq] said, ‘Dude, you got to throw me the ball,'” Bryant revealed. “I said, ‘F*** that. Get it off the rebound if I miss bro.’ [I was] 18 years old, man, 18 years old. I must have been out of my damn mind.”
In hindsight, Bryant understood how out of line he was in that situation. But those moments crafted him into the player he became. That selfishness and competitive edge drove Bryant to five NBA championships and made him one of the greatest players of all time.
