Legendary Basketball player Kobe Bryant has been notorious for being one of the hardest working athletes to ever play professional sports. He coined the term "mamba mentality" and wore the alias "Black Mamba" during his dominant tenure in the NBA that lead to five championship seasons. Needless to say, playing basketball for 20 years at such an intense level, forces one to seek out any form of motivation and drive that they can grasp in order to continue their job day in and day out.
Somehow, Bryant was able to find that. I have learned a lot about the hard work and commitment he possessed through viral videos, stories from other athletes and extensive Reddit threads. He was insane. Some may call it overly obsessive how hard he worked to get better. But for him, he found enjoyment in pushing his body to the brink of exhaustion because he loved the sport.
There is one inspirational moment that I have collected from the plethora of Kobe Bryant stories that I have held onto when I am in need of a spark. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Williams, a professional basketball player who competed against Bryant, explained what it was like to witness him prepare before a primetime game. The game was set to tip off at 7 p.m. and Williams, who heard the rumors of Bryant's ability to prepare well in advance for games, arrived at the court around 3 p.m, well before any other members of his team had arrived. He was the only person who was there….besides none other than himself, Kobe Bryant who was already covered in a full sweat.
As the story goes, Williams shot around and warmed up for about an hour and a half, As he headed back to the bench to take off his shoes, he heard a ball still bouncing on the court. There Kobe was practicing game-like spin moves and post-ups on an invisible defender. Williams sat to watch Bryant for about half an hour before he'd seen enough. He knew this guy was the real deal.
He went back to his locker room to rest up before the game. Now, the best part about this short story is that Bryant went on to score 40 points and lead his team to a dominant win that night. Williams was stunned. He needed to know why Bryant worked as vigorously as he did. As they were walking out of the arena. Williams stopped Kobe and asked him why he had been in the gym for so long. Bryant's response, as poignant and as honest as he is known to be was simple, "because I saw you come into the gym and I wanted you to know that it doesn't matter how hard you work because I am willing to work harder than you."
And it proved to work that night and countless other nights as Bryant cemented his name as one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game.
I have learned a lot from this moment and it is something that I have held close to me. When the going gets tough, you can give in and quit, or you can work harder than the next guy.
