By: BuhayBasket
It has been more than a year since Kobe Bryant dropped 60 points in his final NBA game and dropped the mic in his farewell speech.
Yet, despite stepping away from the game he loves, Bryant’s competitive spirit and killer instincts are still alive in the NBA. We saw it in Kyrie Irving when he hit the game-winner in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals. We saw it in Devin Booker when he scored 70 points last season.
Bryant’s achievements as a player are without a doubt remarkable, but his true brilliance lies in the mindset he has preached to the younger generation of NBA stars, and is continuing to preach to those hungry for success.
Kobe Bryant in his last game in the NBA. Photo credit: AP/NBA
Always perceptive, Bryant has shared words of wisdom to fuel the Mamba Mentality. Here are some of them:
“You can’t sit back and watch crime happen in front of you.”
The crime was an embarrassing 21-point loss to the Golden State Warriors in 2014. The Warriors led by as much as 38 points, handing the Los Angeles Lakers their ninth loss in the first 10 games. It was the worst start in Lakers franchise history. But Bryant wasn’t keen on being a mere witness to the crime. In 31 minutes, Bryant scored 44 points—the most he scored since he tore his Achilles the year before.
“Boos don’t block dunks.”
If you think boos can put a dent on Bryant’s universe, think again. Hate has followed Bryant’s every move since he was the brash kid out of high school hosting air ball parties in the playoffs until he became the guy squashing NBA scoring records. In 2013, Bryant perfectly put into words what boos are incapable of doing as the Lakers—with newly-acquired Dwight Howard—prepared to face a hostile crowd in a regular season game against the Orlando Magic. It was a game the Lakers won.
“Try to be the best version of yourself.”
Bryant was—or is—obsessed with greatness, that’s no secret. Here is proof: he once taught himself how to play Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” on the piano to play for his wife. Forget YouTube instructional videos, he taught himself “by ear.” The Mamba Mentality states: “If you just sit down and say, ‘I’m going to learn this thing until I do, there’s not really much out there that you can’t figure out eventually.”
“Despite fear, finish the job.”
If you’re as athletically-gifted and driven as Bryant, the only roadblock on the path to success is a career-ending injury. In 2013, Bryant faced what could’ve been the proverbial roadblock and turned it into a minor pothole, Mamba-style. Down two points with three minutes left in a crucial regular season game, Bryant went down with a ruptured left Achilles tendon. But instead of being carried off the floor, hestayedon the court, managed to shoot two free throws on one foot, then walked off on his own strength. The Lakers eventually won that game, 118-116.
“Being fearless means putting yourself out there and going for it.”
The Mamba Mentality is both a blessing and a curse for Bryant, making him one of the most polarizing superstars in the NBA. His fierce competitive drive and insane work ethic alienated him from his peers, but at the same time earned the respect of his rivals. When he embarked on his farewell tour in the 2015-2016 season, the narrative was clear: Kobe Bryant is okay with his decision to retire from the NBA. This is because he did everything he possibly could to succeed as a basketball player. On April 13, 2016, Bryant went for it one last time; it was the final brushstroke to the Mamba masterpiece: 60 points to lead the Lakers to a come-from-behind win.
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what on Earth is “Mamba Mentality” anyway?
Never fear, Kobe Bryant explained it himself as the recently-retired Los Angeles Lakers legend is in the Philippines again for his 2016 Mamba Mentality Tour, Saturday.
“To sum up what Mamba Mentality is, it means to be able to constantlytry to be the best version of yourself,” Bryant said.
“That is what the Mentality is,” he added. “It’s a constant quest to try to better today than you were yesterday.”
With him leaving the NBA after 20 years, Bryant said that the Mamba Mentality will live on, thanks to younger players that step up to the plate.
Like Kyrie Irving of the 2016 NBA Champions Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I feel great about it, it means everything that I’ve done throughout my career, it doesn’t just stay in the history books. It doesn’t just sit on the mantle in the form of trophies and gold medals, it means that the legacy is passed on,” Bryant said.
“The fact that he [Kyrie] was thinking about it means that I’ve done something more than simply win,” Kobe added.
The third all-time leading scorer in NBA history likewise shared how the Mamba Mentality all started.
“I came up with it actually during one of our tours,” Bryant recalled.
“Because I put the kids through so many drills and clinics and I just thought to myself ‘Mamba Mentality’ I mean I actually said it. This is what embodies the brand of what we stand for,” he added.
