I Grew Up with Kobe Bryant
Kobe “The Black Mamba” Bryant. Today he is a global icon, and whether you hate him or love him, he is widely coveted as one of the greatest ever to play the game of basketball. His ascension to greatness began when he entered the NBA at the young age of 17 in 1996, and after 20 seasons in the league he has racked up 5 championships, a league MVP, 2 scoring titles, the second highest scoring outburst in an NBA game, 18 all star appearances, 3rd on the NBA All-time scoring list and so much, oh so much more.What a career, a legacy, a legend, a competitor, and according to Oklahoma City Thunder all-star Kevin Durant, an a**hole (they’re friends so no hard feelings). There aren’t enough adjectives to describe Kobe Bryant’s influence on the game of basketball, but I’m not here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about his influence on me, and how the valuable lessons he has taught me over the entirety of his career can be applied by anyone in their everyday lives.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a basketball fan to the core of my soul. I would be lying if I said I’m a great basketball player. At best I’m your above average, passionate basketball fan who used to play high school basketball and now every here and there tries to get some shots up at the local park or gym. It is not a lie, however, that Kobe Bryant was a huge reason behind why I fell in love with the game of basketball. The 2001 Lakers Championship took place when I was just 5 years old, but that’s when I really got a glimpse of what he could do. I grew up with Kobe Bryant, watching from my heavy but small TV as the man out-faked, outscored, outmatched, and outplayed countless opponents over and over and over again. I say “I grew up” because as much as he was learning his way through the NBA, stardom, and numerous obstacles, I was trying to create my own path and navigate through my life.
Well, after 20 years of blood, sweat, and tears, Kobe Bryant is retiring from the game of basketball as of this Wednesday, April 13th 2016. It’s hard to type but even harder to think about. Now I haven’t always been on his side, in fact I hated him when he helped eliminated my Oklahoma City Thunder from the Western Conference Finals a few years back. No matter what though, whether I cheered for him or not, it is undeniable that Kobe Bryant has taught me a multitude of precious lessons over the years, a few of which I will share with you in this article in order to celebrate his incredibly memorable career.
So Kobe, let’s teach these young bloods a thing or two.
ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE
This face, this signature Black Mamba face right here..^…is all too familiar to Kobe fans everywhere. When opposing teams see it, they know they have to run for the hills or find a cure because the Mamba is about strike with lethal venom and unstoppable fearlessness. Okay, so maybe I am buttering him up a bit with all these dramatics but at the end of the day, this man plays 90% of the game in his head and that starts with his ability to be fearless. He’s the guy that has always been willing to take the last shot, to play through countless injuries, to will an abysmal Lakers squad (looking at you Dwight Howard) to the NBA playoffs after saying that they would make the playoffs at the beginning of the year only to tear his ACL in the first round against the Golden State Warriors. Even after that incident when Kobe was well into his 30’s and when most NBA analysts thought that that would be the end of Kobe’s career, he still came back to the game after rehabbing the torn ACL where many players would have retired. Kobe is the guy I would bring into any battle because no matter what, I know he’s going to live up to the challenge and never back down. If you have a goal:
- It should be challenging
- Accept the challenge
If you’re going to set goals for yourself, you better be ready to rise up to the challenge. You have to acknowledge the fact that this is something you need and not just want anymore. That’s when goals become necessities and dreams become realities. Now don’t get me wrong, Kobe hasn’t made all his game-winning shot attempts, nor has he always won the championship but you can be damn well sure he gave everything he had to the game whenever he was on the floor and I want to be able to say I did the same when it comes down to my personal goals.
DON’T SETTLE
The thing about Kobe that I respect most and that I continually try and emulate is that he never settles. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Season 1 or Season 20, he’s going to try and learn something new every single day and he’s always going to want more than what he already has. Some might say that this type of mentality sounds like that of a greedy person, but to me it means that you are an ambitious and motivated individual always reaching for new heights and trying to unlock your full potential. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg ; these guys didn’t stop one day to think that they only wanted to create million dollar companies in order to be successful because now, they’ve created and built up multi-billion dollar companies. Kobe was the kind of player that even though he was a superstar, he would call up players such as Bill Russel, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson to pick their brains and learn more about the game. Now that is what I call being resourceful. Regardless of all his signature moves, fakes, tough shots, and game-winners, his greatest weapon was his mental approach to the game.
I know we all have busy lives but it’s important that we find our passions and learn more about it, so that we at least find self-fulfillment in some way, shape, or form. Go after it and never settle.
FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION
I find that there is this huge misconception that failure is necessary in order to succeed, and that failure is inevitable on the road to success. Well with that type of attitude I hope you fail. “Failure is not an option” is not a phrase for the faint of heart. Again, Kobe himself has faced failure a numerous amount of times, but you’ll never see him say “we can’t win a championship this year.” You have to look at failure in the eye, and believe it does not exist if you really want a shot at success. The moment that you consider it is the moment that you have already lost.
This comes hand in hand with the mentality aspect of things. You have to seriously believe that you cannot fail, and that is what will inevitably motivate you to work harder, work smarter, learn more, grow more, and hopefully if all goes well you will succeed. If you don’t…well you can think about that later because right now the only thing that’s on your mind is the task at hand. How you come back from failure however and pursue relentlessly after success once again, is equally as important as never considering it in the first place.
THANK YOU, KOBE
I have so much more to write, so much I want to say about the legend who has taught me so much about life, about basketball, and about me. Unfortunately, finals exams are here so I have to hit the books.
Kobe, you have been an inspiration to an entire generation of basketball fans and players alike. Lighting up the Staples center with 81 points, shooting free throws with a ruptured Achilles tendon, working on your game day and night in the gym, constantly shutting up Spike Lee in MSG, beating the Celtics in the Finals and ultimately being the most vicious competitor I have ever seen. These are the memories that you’ve given me and the entire world of basketball. Everyone says that you were this generation’s Michael Jordan but to me, you’re the one and only KOBE “THE BLACK MAMBA” BRYANT.
Until next time…
Keep it Zen,
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