Kobe Bryant’s dedication to perfecting his craft is unlike any other. He never hesitated to experiment with different methods to improve his game. Of course, practicing the core of his skills was important. On the other hand, Bryant ventured into tap dancing and even ballet to reach greater heights as a basketball player.
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Many may ask, why would Bryant partake in tap dancing and ballet? The answer is quite simple. Footwork. Bryant wasn’t just born with impeccable footwork, he had to put countless hours into honing that aspect of his offensive game.
Bryant was the very definition of a student of the game. He modelled his play style after his idol, Michael Jordan. Once he found out the six-time NBA champion dabbled in a world similar to tap dancing, he made sure he didn’t waste any time in following suit.
“I asked him point blank why he wanted to learn tap, and he told me that he knew Michael Jordan took ballet and as one of his heroes, he wanted to do something similar to learn rhythm, balance and coordination,” Jason Berkowitz, Bryant’s tap dancing teacher, said.
Bryant worked closely with Berkowitz during the NBA’s lockout from July 1, 1998, to January 20, 1999. The 6-foot-6 guard was in his third season in the NBA at the time. It didn’t take long for his lessons to make a difference in his on-court production.
One year later, in the 1999-2000 season, Bryant won his first NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the first of three consecutive. Although unlikely, the basics he learned from tap dancing helped drastically.
Nonetheless, that wasn’t Bryant’s only experience in contemporary dance. The Hall-of-Fame guard reaped the benefit of having a father who played NBA basketball. Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant guided his son to optimize his skills. As a result, he led Kobe down a path that began with ballet.
“He has a yellow belt in karate, and he took ballet lessons too,” Joe Bryant said in Showboat by Roland Lazenby.
Bryant didn’t take ballet classes throughout his adolescent years, but the basics he learned helped develop a strong base. When he did pursue tap dancing, the venture didn’t prove as difficult considering his past familiarity.
Ballet and tap dancing provided Kobe with the agility required to slither through tough defenses. His expertise in karate taught him how to be tough while also keeping his emotions in check. ‘The Black Mamba’ rarely ever let himself lose his composure, and his karate background is a big reason why.
The five-time NBA champion’s entire life is a testament to where hard work can take you. Many NBA players could learn a thing or two from Bryant about what it truly takes to become an all-time great.
