Mamba

A cold December night in a rural, Central Illinois town. The sun goes down early, making the cold chill of winter pierce the air even sharper. In this small neighborhood, the only thing that can be heard is the buzz of a street light and an over-inflated off-brand basketball bouncing off the blacktop and fiber-glass backboard. I was so happy when the township installed this street light right by my house, as it allowed for me to actually see the hoop when I would be out late shooting. I didn’t care that it was below freezing out — I just layered up hoodies, long-john underwear, and multiple pairs of gloves so that I could actually feel the basketball in my hands as long as possible. When I think back on these nights, I see myself in third person, silhouetted by that street light simulating shots in my head, counting down the final 3 seconds of an imaginary game clock, dribbling the basketball through the hard grass before making a spin move, then a pivot turn-around fade away. I learned this from my favorite player of all time, and his work ethic is what inspired me for much of my life time to put in this extra time to get better.

Looking back even further, I remember the first time seeing him play. In this same house, I was climbing around on a bunk bed, when my brother flipped the channel on our tiny TV to an NBA game. There in the bright yellow uniforms with purple trim, number 8 was slashing through the defense, chasing down loose balls, and throwing lob passes to big number 34 in the middle. I would soon find out that number 34 was Shaquille O’Neal, and the player delivering the passes to him was Kobe Bryant. This is where my obsession with basketball, and The Black Mamba, was born.

Throughout my lifetime, I have faced a handful (no pun-intended) of challenges. Being born with one hand, for obvious reasons, forced me to have to work extra hard to figure things out and learn my way of doing them. When it came to sports, I wanted to be, not just as good, but better than everyone I played with and against. I was small but fast, somewhat quick but not too skilled. However, I realized very early in my development as a basketball player that there was one thing that I could do that not everyone could — hustle. I saw this in my favorite player, Kobe. He was obviously very talented (maybe the most talented ever), however, he did not fall back or rely on his natural skill. Phil Jackson, one of the most successful coaches in NBA history (who also coached Michael Jordan), when asked to pick between Kobe and MJ as to who was better, says that you can’t teach big hands, you can’t teach 48 inch verticals, but he said that no where else in his coaching career did he see a player that had a work ethic like Kobe. Teammates have recalled that, just one week after winning an NBA Championship, Kobe would be seen at the gym at 5:00am training, lifting, and getting shots up. He was not satisfied.

Kobe Bryant once said “I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you.” Kobe was also known, not just for his physical work ethic, but his mental work as well. He was obsessive with studying film, game stats and reports, player numbers, and scouting reports. When you hear him discuss the game, he speaks of angles and geometry and percentages — he created formulas for the game. He took every factor in to account. This is what led to his longevity in the game — twenty season, all with the LA Lakers.

Twenty seasons, all with the same team. 7 NBA Finals appearances. 5 NBA Finals Championships. 2 Olympic Gold Medals. This is another lesson that can be learned from Kobe Bryant — loyalty. He stayed with the team that wanted him before he had any professional success. They traded for him when he was only 17 years old, right out of high school. The team saw falls and spikes in success, but unlike many players of today, he stayed. When times got tough, rather than following the talent, he found a way to bring the team back. He made his own success, rather than borrowing it. Instead of pointing fingers, he took responsibility.

One could go on about his basketball accolades and the legend that he is for days — playing games injured and sick, his grit and tenacity, making game-tying free throws with a torn Achilles, last second game winners, or his solo performances like his 81 point game against Toronto or his 60 point game against Utah in his last NBA game ever — a comeback victory, of course. These are the things that created “The Mamba Mentality” — the killer instinct and level of intense focus and relentless approach he took both in preparation and competition. However, I think it is also important to remember Kobe for what he did off the court as a father and a philanthropist.

Kobe discussed times in his playing days, when his wife Vanessa was at home alone with their young children. He would finish a game, fly home to be with his family for a day, and then fly back with the team to play the next night on no sleep. Kobe coached his daughter’s basketball teams even though he probably could have had a professional coaching career. In the last couple weeks of his life, he was seen courtside at a Lakers game with his daughter, GiGi, teaching her aspects of the game. His persona as a tenacious player, where he is remembered as being a tough-as-nails, cold blooded assassin, is stark contrast to the light you would see in him when with his family. Kobe’s middle name is Bean, which he gets from his fathers nickname “Jellybean”. This becomes appropriate when you see images and videos of him with his family, where he looks as soft and loving as anyone. His thoroughness applied not only to his craft as a player, but his job as a father. He did not want to miss a single moment with his kids, and valued every second he had with them.

Kobe Bryant also used his success to help others. Kobe has foundations to help homeless youth in LA, young athletes to become leaders, academic charities, and gave countless other landmark donations to charitable organizations including Stand Up To Cancer, Make-a-Wish, LeBron James’ I Promise School, and many more. In his time as a player and since retiring, he has made supporting those in need as well as helping to build the youth up a second job.

Many people could say, that when it comes down to it, sports don’t really matter. Some think they are just as distraction from the real problems in the world. Often, they are sullied by corruption and cheating. Many of the players are there for the money, the fame, or the clout. However, when it comes to Kobe, his legacy is much more. He did what he did to challenge himself. He wanted to be the greatest. He wanted to have something to work toward. He wanted to inspire youth to strive to be the best that they can be. He wanted to have a platform to make the world a better place.

When asked what he wanted people to remember about him, he said “I wanted to be remembered as a player that didn’t waste a moment. Didn’t waste a day. And I felt extremely blessed by the God given talent, but at the same time I didn’t take it for granted at all. So if I could be remembered as a person that was born with a lot of talent, but did everything he could to try to over-achieve, and lived every day as if he was the 12th guy on the bench.”

We can all take something from Kobe’s life and legacy. Whether you are an athlete, a parent, a business-person. If we all lived a little bit more like Kobe did, I think that we would be living in a better world.

When I think about you, I will think back to those cold winter nights in my driveway, working to be better than I was yesterday. Those moments are what have made me the person I am today.

Thank you Kobe, for being one of my greatest inspirations in athletics and in life.

Thoughts and prayers to his wife Vanessa and surviving daughters Bianka Bella, Natalia Diamante, and Capri Kobe.

RIP to Kobe Bean Bryant and Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant. The world lost one of the greatest to ever do it.