When one looks at Los Angeles Lakers, one always thinks about Kobe Bryant. The Lakers and Kobe are synonymous, at least for the people born during or after the 1990s. The Black Mamba was drafted in 1996, and played his entire 20-year NBA career with the Lakers.
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During that time, he brought five championships to one of the most storied franchises in NBA History. He won three of them with Shaquille O’Neal from 2000 to 2002. The other two came much later, in 2009 and 2010.
Kobe was known to be one of the fiercest competitors the game of basketball had ever seen. He had a burning desire to win and used to do absolutely everything in his power to make that happen. Once in an interview after retirement, Kobe was asked to share what he’d learned about himself during 20 years in the league.
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Kobe Bryant talked about the importance of staying ready
In 2015, the Black Mamba sat down with anchorwoman Robin Roberts for an interview. It was then that she asked Kobe, “What have you learned about yourself through these 20 years of being in the NBA?”
Bryant thought about it for a second and said,
“What I’ve learned is to always keep going. Always. What I’ve come to find out is that no matter what happens the storm eventually ends, and when the storm does end, you want to make sure that you are ready. So I really learned to put one foot in front of the other, good, bad or indifferent, cause eventually that storm passes.”
“Always keep going. The storm eventually ends.”
– Kobe Bryant
pic.twitter.com/NY1E4VgU8X— Kobe Highlights & Motivation (@kobehighlight) December 31, 2022
This is an excellent lesson to look back on as we start the new year. Storms are a part of life. They would always come and go. One must stay prepared. Have a goal, and make a plan towards attaining the same. Make a script, and stick to it. When the storms come, weather them, and keep working on your script. Eventually, the storm will pass, and you’d come out stronger on the other side.
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Kobe inspired a whole generation of basketball players
Growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s, there was no player who captivated more attention than Kobe Bean Bryant. The Mamba was on a whole different level. His work ethic and dedication to the sport inspired millions of children all across the globe.
Out of the current NBA players, many try to follow Mamba’s teachings and follow in his footsteps. We have guys like Devin Booker and Jayson Tatum, who lead their own teams just like Kobe used to. Even though Kobe is no longer with us, his teachings would always be there to guide us and show us the way.
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