Nick Young played with several big stars during his 12-year tenure in the NBA. One of the most notable names he got to share the court with was Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant. Recalling the time he played in Los Angeles, Young revealed how Kobe’s approach to the game finally changed during his twilight years in the league.
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When Young appeared on his former teammate, Gilbert Arenas’ podcast, Gil’s Arena, he revealed how he got to see Kobe’s impeccable work ethic as well as his transition from being the hardest-working guy in the gym to a veteran, guiding younger guys later on.
Bryant gave everything he had every time he stepped onto the court. He was always the first to arrive at the gym and the last to leave during training. After an injury, Kobe would push himself even harder, putting in the extra work needed to return to his peak performance.
However, the hip injury he sustained in the latter half of his career caught up to him. Young mentioned how Kobe tried to be his former self on the first day of training camp.
“The first year he came back from injury, he showed up to training camp, trying to be the first person in the gym. The first day he did the Indian run. He did all that sh*t. He was first in line. Second day of training camp, he was like, ‘Nick, I’m good. I’m telling you, that old sh*t caught up to me… My ankle ain’t right today. Y’all got it.’”
Kobe said, “Y’all got it!” pic.twitter.com/SfUT83RZVt
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) August 17, 2024
Unfortunately, because the injury caught up, he took a more laid-back approach instead. After that transition, Nick mentioned how Bryant would offer keen pieces of insight to the younger players, taking on the role of the locker room veteran instead.
Mamba Mentality living through generations
Kobe’s work ethic and mentality have been talked about for ages. During his 20-year NBA career, Bryant did not take a day off and his hard-working approach to his trade ended up becoming a blueprint to success in the league.
Widely recognized as The Black Mamba, Bryant would often lock in during intense games which would later be known as his ‘Mamba Mentality.’ And one of the best examples to adopt that very same mentality is Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
After being in the league for several years, Tatum led Boston to the Finals, only to be handed his first loss. Tatum went back to the gym, and worked on his game extensively, adopting that very same mentality that got Bryant his five rings.
JT would go on to double down on his efforts and make another comeback a couple of years later to finally win the coveted NBA championship this past season.
