A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic

Moderators: Domejandro, infinite11285, Harry Garris, ken6199, Dirk, bisme37, KingDavid, bwgood77, zimpy27, cupcakesnake

User avatar
Jellybeans824
Senior
Posts: 652
And1: 860
Joined: Oct 09, 2012

A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#1 » by Jellybeans824 » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:18 am

Simply Amazing.



I've been a professional athletic trainer for about 16 years and have been able to work with a range of athletes from the high school to professional level. Right now I run in a clinic in Cincinnati and have most recently been training with some players on the Bengals.

I've been seeing the videos of Kobe's most recent dunks and the comments you guys have had to share I decided I might as well chime in what I know about the man. And let me just state by saying that this story doesn't touch on anything we don't know about Kobe but rather that he simply is not human when he is working on his craft.

I was invited to Las Vegas this past Summer to help Team USA with their conditioning before they head off to London, and as we know they would eventually bring home the Gold (USA). I've had the opportunity to work with Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade in the past but this would be my first interaction with Kobe. We first met three days before the first scrimmage, on the day of the first practice, early July. It was a brief conversation where we talked about conditioning, where he would like to be by the end of the Summer, and we talked a little bit about the hustle of the Select Team. Then he got my number and I let him know that if he ever wanted some extra training he could hit me up any time.

The night before the first scrimmage I remember I was just watched "Casablanca" for the first time and it was about 3:30 AM. I lay in bed, slowly fading away when I hear my cell ring. It was Kobe. I nervously picked up.
"Hey, uhh Rob, I hope I'm not disturbing anything right?"
"Uhh no, what's up Kob?"
"Just wondering if you could just help me out with some conditioning work, that's all."
I checked my clock. 4:15 AM.
"Yeah sure, I'll see you in the facility in a bit."
It took me about twenty minutes to get my gear and out of the hotel. When I arrived and opened the room to the main practice floor I saw Kobe. Alone. He was drenched in sweat as if he had just taken a swim. It wasn't even 5AM.
We did some conditioning work for the next hour and fifteen minutes. Then we entered the weight room, where he would do a multitude of strength training exercises for the next 45 minutes. After that we parted ways and he went back to the practice floor to shoot. I went back to the hotel and crashed. Wow.
I was expected to be at the floor again at about 11 AM. I woke up feeling sleepy, drowsy, and almost pretty much every side effect of sleep deprivation. Thanks, Kobe. I had a bagel and headed to the practice facility.

This next part I remember very vividly. All the Team USA players were there, feeling good for the first scrimmage. LeBron was talking to Carmelo if I remember correctly and Coach Krzyzewski was trying to explain something to Kevin Durant. On the right side of the practice facility was Kobe by himself shooting jumpers. And this is how our next conversation went -- I went over to him, patted him on the back and said, "Good work this morning."
"Huh?"
"Like, the conditioning. Good work."
"Oh. Yeah, thanks Rob. I really appreciate it."
"So when did you finish?"
"Finish what?"
"Getting your shots up. What time did you leave the facility?"
"Oh just now. I wanted 800 makes so yeah, just now."
My jaw dropped. Mother of holy God.
It was then that I realized that there's no surprise to why he's been as effective as he was last season. Every story about his dedication, every quote that he's said about hard work all came together and hit me like a train. It's no surprise to me now that he's dunking on players ten years younger than him and it wasn't a surprise to me earlier this year when he led the league in scoring.
Thanks for reading and allowing me to share you my Kobe Bryant story. If anyone has any questions I can clarify. Sorry if the story was at all hard to follow as this is my first time on reddit.
Rob.

Image



Please don't leave me. :(
GAME TIME
Banned User
Posts: 1,595
And1: 50
Joined: Nov 04, 2012

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#2 » by GAME TIME » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:22 am

Great read thanks.
User avatar
spearsy23
RealGM
Posts: 19,240
And1: 7,459
Joined: Jan 27, 2012
   

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#3 » by spearsy23 » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:26 am

He should have taken all that energy and put it into defense.
“If you're getting stops and you're making threes and the other team's not scoring, that's when you're going to see a huge point difference there,” coach Billy Donovan said.
D-BE-LAW
Banned User
Posts: 832
And1: 23
Joined: Oct 24, 2012

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#4 » by D-BE-LAW » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:27 am

goats gonna goat
User avatar
WinisKing
Assistant Coach
Posts: 4,257
And1: 1,988
Joined: Jun 21, 2012

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#5 » by WinisKing » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:28 am

One of the GOAT work ethics, truly a motivational read
Image
User avatar
Zubby
General Manager
Posts: 7,548
And1: 835
Joined: Feb 18, 2005

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#6 » by Zubby » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:31 am

So what... Kobe dont sleep?
This is worse than the PEDs accusations... Kobe is a machine. an android, built by the LAL organization :o
User avatar
Mamba Venom
RealGM
Posts: 17,979
And1: 580
Joined: Sep 07, 2005
Location: California
Contact:

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#7 » by Mamba Venom » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:36 am

D-BE-LAW wrote:goats gonna goat


That is a funny awesome comment.

LAL fans are greatful
Lakers are 22-3 in OT last 6 seasons:Kobe best OT closer!
Jimmy Recard
RealGM
Posts: 10,190
And1: 5,370
Joined: Feb 08, 2009
 

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#8 » by Jimmy Recard » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:38 am

spearsy23 wrote:He should have taken all that energy and put it into defense.

:lol:
User avatar
Dr Aki
RealGM
Posts: 34,297
And1: 29,111
Joined: Mar 03, 2008
Location: Sydney, Australia
   

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#9 » by Dr Aki » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:38 am

i wonder if kobe has some sort of condition that his adrenals secrete excess amounts of cortisol during sleep, but instead of getting cushing's syndrome, he uses it to work out instead
Image
kasino
Banned User
Posts: 7,257
And1: 24
Joined: Jan 30, 2010
Location: Brooklyn, NY

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#10 » by kasino » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:38 am

He's so "never say die"
TheFix
Banned User
Posts: 1,173
And1: 98
Joined: Dec 25, 2012

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#11 » by TheFix » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:41 am

This would be more impressive if he hasn't turned into a one-way player.
qm22
General Manager
Posts: 8,317
And1: 1,901
Joined: Dec 29, 2009

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#12 » by qm22 » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:41 am

spearsy23 wrote:He should have taken all that energy and put it into defense.


rofl, I think this was the funniest comment I've ever read on RealGM. Not to be a hater but people frequently act like Kobe is the only guy in the NBA working to his limits.
qm22
General Manager
Posts: 8,317
And1: 1,901
Joined: Dec 29, 2009

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#13 » by qm22 » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:46 am

Derailing
TARIQ
Veteran
Posts: 2,845
And1: 225
Joined: Jan 05, 2013

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#14 » by TARIQ » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:50 am

Kobe's work ethic is unmatched
Wonderllama wrote:George/Hibbert = the next Kobe/Shaq?

PG seems like he could be even better than Kobe... IMO.
Don Ford
Analyst
Posts: 3,072
And1: 1,042
Joined: Jun 04, 2008
     

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#15 » by Don Ford » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:51 am

Dont bait.
Bodhi
Bench Warmer
Posts: 1,341
And1: 81
Joined: Aug 21, 2009

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#16 » by Bodhi » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:54 am

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


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
Jeanie Buss
og15
Forum Mod - Clippers
Forum Mod - Clippers
Posts: 47,290
And1: 28,807
Joined: Jun 23, 2004
Location: NBA Fan
 

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#17 » by og15 » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:55 am

It's going to be REALLY hard for Kobe to stop playing basketball. His whole identity is wrapped around basketball. While this is good for the fan, not sure this is actually the most healthy thing for him, but it is some good dedication. Just imagine being dedicated to whatever your passion(s) are in a similar fashion, though I would advice in a little more healthy fashion. The line between high dedication and obsession can be very very close.
spectacularmove
Bench Warmer
Posts: 1,282
And1: 316
Joined: Jul 04, 2010
Location: right here right now

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#18 » by spectacularmove » Tue Mar 5, 2013 1:56 am

"He's cursed just as much as I am"
Indeed he is
you are not your thoughts
User avatar
Jellybeans824
Senior
Posts: 652
And1: 860
Joined: Oct 09, 2012

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#19 » by Jellybeans824 » Tue Mar 5, 2013 2:00 am

spectacularmove wrote:"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?
User avatar
WinisKing
Assistant Coach
Posts: 4,257
And1: 1,988
Joined: Jun 21, 2012

Re: A story about Kobe Bryant's work ethic 

Post#20 » by WinisKing » Tue Mar 5, 2013 2:05 am

Jellybeans824 wrote:
spectacularmove wrote:"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?

Obviously suggesting that Kobe would fail as a NBA owner
Image

Return to The General Board