Nicco Carter

Professor Hewitt

College Comp

16 Feb. 2020

Profile

Kobe Bryant : the Legend of the Black Mamba

“I am going to be the best player of all time.” That is the first thing Kobe Bryant said to

former teammate Shaquille O’Neal when they teamed up in ‘96. Being the best is not easy, nor is

it an accident. Waking up at four A.M, only to be back at it at ten, then one, then five, then nine.

Sacrificing three or four hours of sleep a night to be great. Sounds crazy but this was the mind of

Kobe Bryant. Kobe was a lot of things. A winner, a leader, a hard worker, and much more. All of

this can be defined by one word: mamba mentality. That is just a merely a pinch of what made

Kobe Bryant, Kobe Bryant. He had a great mentality, was a godfather of basketball, and he

touched the world.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Kobe Bean Bryant embodied the word greatness

with the best of them. He attended Lower Merion high school where he broke the city scoring

record with 2883 career points and won Naismith player of the year.[ CITATION Ref20 \l 1033 ]

After four solid high school years, he was heavily recruited by Villanova, Duke, Michigan, North

Carolina, and had many other interests from other high-level division one schools. Ultimately, he

decided to skip college after John Lucas, the coach of his hometown 76ers, told him he was good

enough to be the first overall pick in the draft. Draft night arrived and he was drafted by the

Charlotte Hornets with the thirteenth overall pick of the 1996 draft. Immediately, he was traded

to the Los Angeles Lakers for veteran center Vlade Divac. Kobe spent his entire career in Los
Angeles where he was a five-time NBA champion, two time scoring leader, and two-time finals

mvp.

Mamba Mentality

Kobe had a great mentality that defined the way he played on the court. He once said

“just trying to get better every day. It’s the simplest form of just trying to get better at whatever

you’re doing[CITATION kob \l 1033 ] That mindset, and not being afraid to fail which is being

afraid to win, guided him on a journey that would not only make him great but, impact millions

of people. At 6’6 having an impressive vertical jump at a young age, some would say he was

blessed with god given talent that contributes to his greatness. But that isn’t the separation from

good to great or even great to being one of the best. Kobe once said, “what distinguishes the

ordinary from the extraordinary is the amount of work and dedication put into perfecting a craft.”

Not only did he say it, but he showed it by the way he lived and the way he worked. Kobe was

always the first one in the gym no matter if for a workout, practice or just getting shots up.

Sometimes hours before practice or early in the morning like four a.m., he could be found

perfecting his craft was not easy it took a countless number of hours and an unimaginable

amount of focus. All of that proved worth it, as he won multiple championships and inspired

basketball players all over the world. Mamba mentality turned into a lifestyle, t was a way to

live, inspiring countless people, teams, and organizations. He showed people you don’t have to

be a superstar or a basketball player to implement it in your own life.

The basketball World and Lebron James

Kobe was considered a godfather of basketball because he had a lot of players and young

people in the league who looked up to him. Kyrie Irving spent an offseason with Kobe after

leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017. In the season that followed Kyrie showed great
improvement in leadership and scoring prowess, as did Kawhi Leonard in 2018 who followed up

with a big championship. Its safe to say Kobe had a big impact on these players and their careers.

However, none was quite like his relationship with Lebron James. Lebron always mirrored

Kobe’s preparation, approach, and his confidence. They first met when Lebron was fifteen at

ABCD camp, and Kobe talked to the kids and told them “If you want be great you have to put

the work in there is no substitution for work.”[ CITATION kob \l 1033 ] This stuck with Lebron at a

young age. Soon after in 2001 Kobe gave his shoes to Lebron before the all-star game in

Pennsylvania. Kobe ended up winning the all-star game MVP and Lebron wore those shoes in

his first match up with future hall of famer Carmelo Anthony against oak hill high school. Being

a big weekend for them both this was a big moment for them and the beginning of a friendship

that would soon turn into a brotherhood. Lebron just like Kobe was drafted straight out of high

school. He was drafted number one by the Cleveland Cavaliers. They first played each other in

January of 04’. Lebron finished with sixteen points and Kobe with ten, unfortunately he left the

game early with a right shoulder injury. The two later teamed in 07’ on the USA Olympic team.

During this time Lebron and the other young players on the roster got a opportunity to learn and

see how Kobe prepares. He treated the USA games like finals games in terms of preparation.

Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim said that Kobe arrived a day early to workout. LeBron only being

22 and still a young player in the league he was learning and soaking in everything he could from

Kobe. Michael Redd, a veteran on the team said “it was clear to teammates that James was

absorbing lessons from Bryant, big and small, that he was watching the way Bryant went about

his business, especially on defense.”[ CITATION Mic \l 1033 ] Some would say Kobe influenced

LeBron to be more of a defensive player and take more pride in that side of the ball. Redd also

said “I think LeBron had a tremendous amount of respect for Kobe at that time, And Kobe did,
too, for LeBron”.[ CITATION Mic \l 1033 ] LeBron being such a young player to already have the

respect of a player like Kobe was impressive and foreshadowing of what was to come of his

career. After long stints with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. winning three rings in

eight years LeBron decided to join the Los Angeles Lakers. Where he surpassed Kobe as the

leagues all the third leading scorer.

Birth of a Legend

Kobe left a legacy that touched the world. He is considered one of if not the greatest

basketball player of all time. For instance kids and adults all over the world shout “KOBE

“before sinking a paper ball into the trash. Clearly, he left the world with a lot of things and

impacted it in a big way. “ Live each day as it comes and continue to try to ask questions to try to

be better, better as a father, be better as a husband, be better as a creator, a writer, director,

whatever the case may be…live each day as if it was your last.”[ CITATION kob \l 1033 ] Some of

the last words Kobe Bryant left with the world in one of his last interviews. A philosophy,

lifestyle that can be followed and lived by anyone in the world. On January 26th, 2020 he lived

his last day to the fullest. People of all ages, ethnicities, races, and genders came together to

honor a legend on the saddest day of the new decade. 24 second and 8 second violations were

called all over the basketball world in games. Tattoos resembling snakes and his face with the

words “Mamba for life” or “Mamba forever” were now sketched upon thousands in ink.

Celebrities of all varieties mourned and showed love on social media to a mutual hero. On the

day of the BET awards, the Staples Center was surrounded by people with purple and white

Laker jerseys carrying flowers and in tears remembering Kobe. He motivated, influenced and

impacted generations of not just basketball players but people, to live the right way. He helped
people take that extra step or get up on a day they really did not feel like it. On January 26th, the

world lost a loved one but birthed a legend.

Works Cited
Kobe Bryant movie the legacy. Perf. Kobe Bryant. n.d.
Redd, Michael. USA basketball n.d.
"Reference world view." 2020. Reference.