Kobe Bryant: The Mamba Mentality
1. Introduction
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American former professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He entered the league directly from high school, and won five NBA championships
with the team. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, and ranks fourth on the league's all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history.
Bryant is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. A versatile player, he played both shooting guard and small forward. Although he was originally drafted as a shooting guard, he switched to small forward during his third season. He was one of the most accurate shooters in NBA history, finishing his career with a field goal percentage of.837.
2. Kobe Bryant's work ethic
Bryant was known for his work ethic, as he was often one of the first players to arrive at practice and one of the last to leave. Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that "the thing that sets [Bryant] apart from a lot of other great players is his commitment to prepare himself night in and night out to play at a level that very, very few can ever hope to reach". Jackson further stated that "What Kobe does night in and night out is just phenomenal". Jackson's successor as Lakers coach, Mike D'Antoni, also praised Bryant's work ethic, saying that "I've never seen anybody work harder than Kobe Bryant".
D'Antoni continued, "He practices as hard as he plays…You could see it in his face every day in practice. It was amazing to watch him just grind away". Shaquille O'Neal, who played with Bryant from 1996 to 2004, said that "I have seen Kobe do some things that people just don't do in this game…The one thing I can say about Kobe is that he's probably the hardest worker I have ever seen".
Tiger Woods has also praised Bryant's work ethic, saying that "The thing about Kobe is that he wants it so bad…He works so hard at his craft"; Woods further stated that "You rarely see somebody who just flat-out outworks everybody else…He puts so much time into it, there's no way he couldn’t be good".
3. His skill
Bryant was a gifted shooter, both from long range and mid-range. In 2006, Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum described him as "maybe the best pure shooter in our game today"; McCallum further stated that "Bryant has worked obsessively on his shooting" and that "he has a kind of range that, finally, may be unmatched in NBA history".
In December 2011, after Bryant made a then career-high 61 points while shooting 20-for-28 from the field and 5-for-7 from three-point range, former Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that "Kobe's one of the best long-range shooters in the game today"; Jackson further stated that "He proved it again tonight".
In November 2012, after Bryant made a game-winning three-pointer to beat the Charlotte Bobcats, ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy said that "Kobe Bryant is the best closer in the history of the game"; Van Gundy further stated that "There's never been anybody better than him in crunch time".
In February 2013, after Bryant scored a then season-high 38 points while shooting 14-for-24 from the field and 5-for-9 from three-point range, New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson said that "Kobe is one of the all-time greats. When he gets it going like he did tonight, there's not much you can do about it"; Woodson further stated that "He was making some unbelievable shots out there tonight. We had no answer for him".
In December 2014, after Bryant scored a then season-high 31 points while shooting 12-for-23 from the field and 4-for-10 from three-point range, Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said that "Kobe is one of the best scorers in the history of our game, and when he gets it going like that, sometimes there's not much you can do about it"; Carlisle further stated that "He was making some tough shots out there tonight. We just couldn't get stops when we needed to get them".
4. Achievements
Bryant won five NBA championships with the Lakers: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2010. He was named the Finals MVP in each of those years. He was also named the regular season MVP in 2008 and 2012. He was named to 18 All-Star teams (1998–2016), 15 All-NBA teams (1999–2013, 2016), and 12 All-Defensive teams (2000–2003, 2005–2011). He led the NBA in scoring twice: in 2005–06 and 2006–07. He ranks fourth on the NBA's all-time regular season scoring list with 33,643 points, and is second on the league's all-time postseason scoring list with 5,640 points.
Bryant was also a member of two Olympic gold medal winning teams: in 2008 and 2012. He retired as the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history with 33,643 points. He also ranks second on the franchise's all-time assists list with 6, 306.
5. The charges brought against him
In July 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault in Colorado. The charges were later dropped when the accuser refused to testify. In September 2005, a civil suit was filed against Bryant by the accuser. The case was settled out of court in March 2005. In December 2014, after Bryant scored a then season-high 31 points while shooting 12-for-23 from the field and 4-for-10 from three-point range, Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said that "Kobe is one of the best scorers in the history of our game, and when he gets it going like that, sometimes there's not much you can do about it"; Carlisle further stated that "He was making some tough shots out there tonight. We just couldn't get stops when we needed to get them".
6. Conclusion
Kobe Bryant was an American professional basketball player who played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a gifted shooter and a versatile player who could play both shooting guard and small forward. He was known for his work ethic, as he was often one of the first players to arrive at practice and one of the last to leave. He won five NBA championships with the Lakers and was named the Finals MVP in each of those years. He also won two Olympic gold medals as a member of the United States men's national basketball team.