A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic

[Scubetrolis]

It's his job to do this. This should be expected of all players.

[22WigginsRoss31]

Kobe wants to go out in style Nuff Said, Mamba is a mean ninja

[RayBan-Sematra]

OK, early in his career, he deferred to Shaq. He scored far less than he probably could have otherwise. They went on to win three titles.

Wrong.

01-02 Playoff FGA : 22.5
08-10 Playoff FGA : 22.4

Kobe was never "restricted" from shot taking and his efficiency was inflated by Shaq.
So in actuality Shaq improved Kobe's PPG.

Maybe on a crappy team Kobe would have scored slightly more because on a non-contender a star player can shot jack more but at the same time there would be no playoff success for him.

In regards to Kobe's work ethic it is definitely very good.
He also has love for the game and enjoys playing it.

I definitely admire those things in him and can relate.

At the same time I will say comparing different players work ethic is kind of dumb.
None of us really know how hard these athletes work.

We can "speculate" but we'll never really know.

I don't like making assumptions.

[nikomCH]

God damn I wish I could be like Kobe when it comes to my studies...

If only reading a power point slide was as fun as shooting a basketball

[yaaar]

Lol, so it's either lies or everyone should do this.

FYI the amount of sleep a person needs differs from person to person. Some people are wired to only sleep a few hours a night. I think there's a guy that only sleeps like 15 minutes a day.

[spearsy23]

Honestly, the man's work ethic IS legendary, but I was sneaking into gyms in the middle of the night when I was in high school and nobody ever told epic stories about MY work ethic

[tsherkin]

In the middle of his career, he could have deferred to Smush Parker, Lamar Odom, Luke Walton and Kwame Brown, but decided to take 27 shots a game for purely selfish reasons. Instead of playing in the NBA Finals had he deferred, they wound up losing in the first round a few years.

This is one of the most singularly ignorant things I've ever seen written on RealGM in the last 9 years.

There is no sensible, sane way to make an argument that the 05-07 Lakers would have contended for a title as constructed, regardless of how Kobe managed his shooting volume.

[kingkirk]

In the middle of his career, he could have deferred to Smush Parker, Lamar Odom, Luke Walton and Kwame Brown, but decided to take 27 shots a game for purely selfish reasons. Instead of playing in the NBA Finals had he deferred, they wound up losing in the first round a few years.

This is one of the most singularly ignorant things I've ever seen written on RealGM in the last 9 years.

There is no sensible, sane way to make an argument that the 05-07 Lakers would have contended for a title as constructed, regardless of how Kobe managed his shooting volume.

I have to assume its a joke, or else it may be **** **** **** comment i've ever read.

[dockingsched]

In the middle of his career, he could have deferred to Smush Parker, Lamar Odom, Luke Walton and Kwame Brown, but decided to take 27 shots a game for purely selfish reasons. Instead of playing in the NBA Finals had he deferred, they wound up losing in the first round a few years.

This is one of the most singularly ignorant things I've ever seen written on RealGM in the last 9 years.

There is no sensible, sane way to make an argument that the 05-07 Lakers would have contended for a title as constructed, regardless of how Kobe managed his shooting volume.

that sarcasm detector needs some repair

[te887848]

One of the all-time legends of this game. Will be a sad day when he retires.

[spearsy23]

In the middle of his career, he could have deferred to Smush Parker, Lamar Odom, Luke Walton and Kwame Brown, but decided to take 27 shots a game for purely selfish reasons. Instead of playing in the NBA Finals had he deferred, they wound up losing in the first round a few years.

This is one of the most singularly ignorant things I've ever seen written on RealGM in the last 9 years.

There is no sensible, sane way to make an argument that the 05-07 Lakers would have contended for a title as constructed, regardless of how Kobe managed his shooting volume.

that sarcasm detector needs some repair

I think the general board just needs to be set to green font so these mistakes quit happening.

[og15]

"He's cursed just as much as I am"
Indeed he is

Isn't that what MJ said in the interview? What did he mean by that anyways?

I think MJ see some of his competitive drivness in Kobe, and I don't think MJ is a happy dude. This guys are like obsesive competitors, so when their carreers are over, I would guess they don't find much peace in retirement.

This is exactly it, there's a long interview like article about MJ. The man isn't content, he's restless, he doesn't enjoy his accomplishments, still trying to get more. Still toying with ideas of "I could still go out there, if I could just get back to my playing weight". It's great for basketball fans when they are playing, but these are men that might not really enjoy their lives after basketball because they are always wanting to prove something, and basketball was their identity, it was what they felt satisfaction in.

Interestingly enough, Lebron is great but seems to have a better balance of working hard, but enjoying other things in life and not being what you might call obsessed.

guys like these aren't after "contentment" or "happiness".

after Beijing olympics most of the comments by the top players regarding kobe had to do with his insane workout regimen. dude is a little bit crazy.

I'd disagree and say that they actually are, problem is that after basketball, they can't figure out a way to find it. Think of the main premise of the John Mayer song "Something's Missing", they have everything, but they still can't sleep at night. It actually kinda sucks.

[GreenBloodedC]

LMAO, sarcasm detector has been off for most posters tonight

[Zubby]

This is a pretty good one too. Found it in the comments.


I actually have some similar stories. My father was part of the Lakers S&C team from 1993-2001 or 2002.
He once said he had to stay at the practice facility helping a player rehabbing from an injury well into the night. An assistant coach Bill Bertka was given the assignment of shutting Kobe down before/after practices because there was concern he was overdoing it and would break down. After they found Kobe coming back to the facility after hours several times on his own, Bill made him give back his key. There was apparently quite the rift between management and Kobe regarding his practice habits and Kobe felt like he wasn't valued. He felt somewhat like he was just a body to them and that they'd lose interest in him if he was hurt. At one point he said something to Jeanie about "if they cant handle me at my worst, they dont deserve me at my best". It got back to Jerry West and there was a sit down to say the least.
Back to the story. My old man is at the facility rehabbing and around 1am Kobe walked down the hall past the training rooms toward the practice court. When he noticed my dad and the player he said "yall didnt see ****" and my dad said Kobe was still at the facility when they left at 230 am. The next day my dad asked Kobe how he got in and Kobe laughed and said "i got my ways". A couple of nights later my dad noticed a sock wedged in between one of the entrances to the building propping the door open. My dad never ratted. Kobe could be proppin with socks to this day. One of my favorites.

Ok these stories are getting a bit much... I mean couldn't Kobe just buy a damn basketball goal for is house... you know so he wouldn't have to wedge a sock in the door?

So what... Kobe dont sleep?
This is worse than the PEDs accusations... Kobe is a machine. an android, built by the LAL organization

I'm sure Kobe sleeps less than just about everyone on the planet, but most pro athletes take naps. Here's an article on it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/sport ... d=all&_r=0

And here's another fun article about how Kobe prepares
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=4068270

Quite the opposite Kobe and every other elite athlete sleep a lot more than the average person... I mean 3pm naps and you think they sleep less.
Like Olympians say once it gets close they stop everything and only train, eat and sleep.

[Wile E. Coyote]

I guess I can't post such reckless sarcasm without a green hue.

[SportsandTacos]

Lol, so it's either lies or everyone should do this.

FYI the amount of sleep a person needs differs from person to person. Some people are wired to only sleep a few hours a night. I think there's a guy that only sleeps like 15 minutes a day.

we call those people college students

[Pimpwerx]

Dude is a professional dedicated to his craft. I don't like him, but I've always respected him. A great player who never took the easy road, despite mounds of natural talent. PEACE.

[Jellybeans824]

[leolozon]

But would he be able to train that much without PED to help with recovery?



Just kidding.

[Blkbrd671]

goats gonna goat

nice