Kobe Bryant was easily one of the most dedicated players in NBA history. Fuelled by a love for the game, Bryant was always on the lookout to improve different aspects of his game. One of the hardest working athletes, Kobe was seen hitting the gym at ungodly hours for long durations at times. Gilbert Arenas recently revealed a story that couldn’t depict Kobe Bryant any more aptly. As mentioned on Trae Young’s podcast, Arenas was once in shock after witnessing the Black Mamba workout at 3 AM like he was playing in the NBA Finals.
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Tim Grover, a renowned personal trainer, worked alongside Bryant for the majority of his career. As revealed by Tim, Kobe would work out like no one other. In fact, despite having trained Michael Jordan earlier, Grover was not accustomed to waking up at odd hours upon the Mamba’s request. As wild as it sounds, Bryant would end up waking his trainer up at 3 AM to begin their workout.
Gilbert Arenas once saw Kobe Bryant workout at 3 AM on a game day
Gilbert Arenas recently made an appearance on Trae Young’s From The Point podcast. As seen in one of the clips posted on Instagram, Agent Zero narrates an anecdote from the one time he saw Bryant get a workout in at 3 AM on a game day.
According to Arenas, Kobe and the Los Angeles Lakers were playing one of the worst teams in the league. Instead of putting in the light work and grabbing a win, Bryant decided to get a full workout at 3 AM in the morning. The former three-time All-Star concluded by revealing that after watching Kobe’s dedication to the game, he was also motivated to bring a change in his approach.
“So I go to the gym like game day 3 o’clock. Kobe’s working out. Like serious… The man was going through workouts, pregame workouts like he was playing in the Finals. Like he was playing against a Championship team. He playing us, we damn near last place. He’s in there, going hard like he’s really about that. Now I can see the difference between what this is and what I’m watching every day in practice… and that’s what changed me.”
Kobe Bryant was always equipped with a strong work ethic. As heard in numerous tales, even as a high schooler, Kobe would hit the gym at odd hours of the night. Getting up as early as 3 AM to train as a teenager displayed Bryant’s relentless drive for the game.
Arenas once did Kobe’s ‘Black Ops’ training after being humiliated by LeBron James
During a playoff series in 2006, Gilbert Arenas missed consecutive series. The missed shots resulted in the Washington Wizards’ series loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Right before attempting the shots from the charity stripe, LeBron James came over to Arenas and warned him, “You know, if you miss these, that’s game.”
After being humiliated by a young LBJ, Agent Zero decided to spend the summer doing Black Ops training. A style of training inspired by none other than Kobe Bryant. The very next season, Arenas put up staggering numbers. Receiving a third All-Star and All-NBA nod, the 6-foot-4 combo guard lodged 28.4/4.6/6.
