SOUL wrote:Saw a good post from Derrick Williams:
"He was the most misunderstood basketball player ever and it was because his tenacity, aggression, work ethic that ultimately made you uncomfortable. Who trains like this ? How ? Why would you do that? Ultimately you become better then your idols and that’s what he became to many people from LA. With that said , only two words could describe him , Black Mamba.
One story I want to share is when I go to workout with Kobe. I sent him a text and said Kobe can i get a workout in with you tomorrow? I want to be a better player. He responds “6:30AM Irvine Spectrum” I meet him there but he wasn’t sleepy eyed like I was so I was confused as hell. We lift for 1hr 15 mins , abs another 45 mins , then we hop on the court for an hour. “D Will we are going to work on go to moves , I’ma show you counters and everything and I’m going to rebound for you” for a hour he ran and chased makes and misses to see me get better. I asked him why aren’t you going to shoot ? He said “young fella I’ve been up since 4 , I already shot and ran on the track before I met you here” Thats when I knew I was working with a different animal. Thank you @kobebryant for the ever lasting memories and for what you have done for my generation of basketball players and inspiring athletes. Prayers to the Bryant family."
I'll bet almost everybody in the NBA has a Kobe story like this. Chris Bosh's from the Olympics:
On the first practice day with that team, I went down to get breakfast before we took the bus over to the gym. There I was, thinking I was pretty early and feeling good about myself and Kobe’s already there. He gets up, says hello and walks out to get ready for practice. The most interesting thing I noticed was that he had ice bags on his knees. I later found out that he’d already gotten his workout in and was pretty much waiting for our practice to start. Mind you, this was less than two weeks after the Lakers lost in the Finals to the Celtics, and there he was, working out and practicing like a maniac. He had every reason to rest up and just focus on being healthy for the Olympics. But every day in practice, he brought it. Every day, he was trying to be the best among the best.
We went to the village to hang out a few times while the Olympic Games were going on, and I remember everybody walking through the arcade that they’d set up for the athletes. There were a bunch of games, but in particular, they had those mini pop-a-shot basketball games that you can find in just about every arcade in the world. Kobe and Michael Redd started playing, and things got competitive. After a few games, I got tired of watching, so I left to meet up with some friends. I had to have been gone for a couple of hours. When it was almost time to head back to the hotel, I stopped by the arcade again and those guys were still playing! Both of them were in a full sweat with a focus like it was a real game. That was pretty funny to me because I’d always heard about how competitive Kobe was and in that moment, I got to witness it for myself.
Even as a Lakers fan, I always had a love-hate with Kobe. I was never a Jordan guy (while he was playing at least; now I'm super grateful I got to watch him play) so having a star cut from exactly the same cloth wasn't always easy. It's just an aesthetic thing. Magic Johnson was my man, and I just prefer pass-first type players, which is why I also like LeBron so much. When his shots were falling, Kobe could be absolutely jaw-dropping. But I spent hundreds of nights over the years agonizing over his shot selection and hero-ball tendencies. The fact that he gave himself all his own nicknames also speaks for itself.
Anyways, I mention this simply to say the one area I never, ever doubted him was his work ethic and dedication. Very, very few pro athletes can get by on raw talent alone. Or if they can, they're still not maximizing their full potential. (Love you Shaq, but looking at you.) Even the best have to work their ass off to hone their craft and get better. Many do, but in this area, it was pretty clear he was a cut above. You'd hear stories about how maniacal Jordan and Magic and Bird were about working on their games, and Kobe somehow might have been even more so. As a sports fan, you can only hope your guys care even half as much as he did. Was a big part of that drive to benefit his own legacy? Yeah. But we still reaped so, so many rewards. As somebody who isn't particularly competitive or driven, his personality fascinated me.
I think that's a big reason he seemed so at peace with retirement. For 20 years he left absolutely everything he had on the court -- in games, in practice, in the film room, in the weight room, everywhere. That must be an amazing feeling to look back on your life's passion and say, with total honesty, I gave it all I had. Almost none of us will be able to say that -- hell, most of us don't even have a passion -- but he could. And then the fact that he didn't seem to have neglected his family and other relationships in the process ... what more could you ask for?
