Kobe, An Inspiration To Us All.

[Lakers2015]

So I was feeling pretty lazy. Did what I would call a mild workout earlier in the day. Just didn't feel like doing anything else. Then I just rewatched Kobe's 60 point game. The highlights and did an hour of intense cardio at 3 am. I wa S just thinking this dude scored 60 (bleep) points in his last game at age 37 what's my excuse? There is none. Kobe is simply an inspiration to us all. When you're just not feeling it. When you're struggling. When life is trying to get you down all you have to do is think of the Mamba and everything he went through and overcame. We all have that Black Mamba in is. No quitting. No pouting. No whining, just (bleep) do it. Period. Push through everything and anything and get whatever needs to be done, done.

You see a man struggle through the last three seasons of his career. Struggling with what he's gonna do next and now he has a plan for himself and there's no reason to believe he won't have tremendous success in his next career. You see the way Kobe not only accepted challenges, but rose above them and challenged himself further. Pushing himself above and beyond. I'll never forget his postgame interview after losing in the 2003 playoffs to San Antonio when he was asked how hard he'd work in the summer and he not surprisingly said he'd push himself to exhaustion. I mean man that kind of commitment. That kind of emotion and passion for what you do is just unmistakable.

I know some people think athletes aren't great role models for kids and normally I'd concur, but this guy is just a different story to me. I think anyone whatever is your passion is should look up to this man. The way he demands success and sheer hard work, determination, and constantly refining his craft is just unlike anyone I've ever seen. We always hear if this guy ever reaches his potential or that guy does and it doesn't always happen. Other players get content and it's hard to blame them once you reach a certain point. What I and a lot would call a psychotic competitor much like Michael Jordan is what perfectly exemplifies Kobe Bryant. This dude was already argurably the best player in the league right after Shaq's decline and departure and already has three championships. Most guys would've said well "(bleep) y'all haters I got money and three rings I don't need to prove anyone wrong". Kobe said "no (bleep) you all I will prove you right, I will make you eat your words". I will be 10x the player I am now and damn if it wasn't for the Chris Paul debacle and subsequent Achilles tear Kobe would've likely ended up with at least six or seven.

Kobe is just flat out awesome man. I can't fathom how anyone can not appreciate and admire this man. To put that much in for such a lengthy period of time. Never backing down. Never ceasing from the immense pressure like we've seen others do. Overcoming early failures like the air balls against Utah when he was 18, or even later on in the Finals in 2004 and 2008 (Not that it was all his fault). That just takes such an incredible amount of mental toughness. As much admiration as I have for the great and I mean great Kareem, Magic, Shaq, etc. Kobe will always be my favorite Laker. Magic believes he's the best Laker. I agree with him although that will always be a great debate to have. Honestly I expected some dejection, some depression from Kobe's impending retirement. Knowing the man I grew up watching and became a basketball and Lakers fan was riding off into the sunset. Yet I'm not sad at all. I'm happy for him that he got to go out his way. He was able to have his retirement tour. He was able to show the young guys in that finale what it takes to reach this pinacle in a career.

I openly acknowledge it was emotional for me, but not in a sad way. Just in an appreciative way me just being so thrilled and feeling so lucky I got to see this man dominate for at the highest level, prove every single doubter along the way wrong, leading this team to the promise land time and time again, and just having one of the truly remarkable and historic careers. Ultimately Kobe obviously is beyond ecstatic he got to as he put it live out his dream. Playing for the best orginization for two decades, but I truly believe he is also very happy that he clearly was an inspiration to so many people. Seeing all these people show up for every game in his final season. It wasn't just about basketball. It was about life too. It was about all us fans showing immense respect and appreciation to a man who taught us all that quitting should never be in your vocabulary. That slacking off should never be an option. That chasing your dreams and absolutely driving yourself to the best of your ability should always be a no brainer.

Even though Kobe is retired I still find myself constantly wearing his jersey. Matter of fact just got some Kobe sneakers. He's had a tremendous impact on my life and that kind of admiration will never go away. A decade from now I'll still be thanking and appreciating Kobe. No doubt. Just watching some old highlights and just having a huge smile on my face because of the fact that I got to see all these great games. I didn't have to watch tape like I did with those that came before. I saw it with my own eyes. I witnessed (bleep) history. Saying Kobe was great, was sensational, was terrific, doesn't even do it justice. The man was Superman for two decades. Now he's put up the cape, but we won't ever forget how he saved us and the Lakers franchise. Time and time again.
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[Chronicle]

Thanks for this.

You are definitely right. People say they live and bleed basketball (or some other sport, or some other thing altogether), but they have no idea what they're talking about, when you compare it to how obsessed Kobe has been for more than TWENTY years.
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Kobe

[bryants2hot2handle]

Thanks man. Agree with everything!!! Last week's game was one of THE biggest inspirations.

[ahaider]

Loved the post. Sometimes when I feel lazy I rewatch the last bit of the fourth quarter of his 60 point game. No excuses.
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Author of James Harden and the Strip Club


"The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter." - Malcom Gladwell

[City_Dawg]

WWKD?
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*sighs*

!...

[SuperboyReformed]

Kobe's career and legacy...it's hard for me to imagine someone in any sport matching it.

Kobe came into the league on the coattails of Magic and MJ. He came to Magic's team, the Lakers. The Showtime Lakers are the most iconic team in NBA history, especially the modern age. The other ones are MJ's Bulls and the old Celtics. But really, Showtime is #1. And the leader of that team was Magic, a sports icon himself.

Kobe was a kid, like a lot of us in our 30s here. Kobe thought of the Lakers and Magic the way we do. We idolized those guys, they were gods. We obsessed over them. A lot of us played basketball with the thought and dreams of being like them. Same with Kobe.

But Kobe was serious about it. Way more serious. He lived the life that all of us wannabes wanted as a kid. That's his actual reality. That's why he's a god, that's why we all live vicariously through him.

And after 20 years of doing the most fantastic things we could have imagined. here comes Magic, the greatest Laker, the most iconic Laker, the man who changed the sport, the game, the industry, the world...and he called Kobe the greatest to wear the purple and gold.

He called a kid who worshipped him the best that ever was. That was amazing to see. That is surreal. That should make everyone question what reality really is. That's why that guy is crying in the video. Rarely do you see things like this in life.

[Inspector Gadget]

Reading you're post, I wish Kobe finished his career with 7 titles, Still a great career accomplishment and a role model for every kid.

He could have done more but still ended his career as a great basketball player and a legend.

[K28]

The best lessons I learned from Kobe, and ones that I always repeat to my kids:

1. If you're afraid to fail, then you're afraid to win.

2. Never stop challenging yourself, never be afraid to work even harder.

3. If you're only worried about being liked/loved, then you're in it for the wrong reasons.

Kobe, when it came to basketball, just did it the right way. And there's a legion of fans and up and coming young athletes (my son among them), who have been positively affected by his example.

[slavavov]

Great post. My business mentors taught me that "good is the enemy of great". I remember reading a book by Pat Riley where he talked about how complacency holds many back from true greatness. Kobe not only lacked complacency, but his career-long approach is a study in the mental approach towards greatness. He believed in himself, he set specific goals for his career when he was 18, and he wanted it more badly than we can realize. That, along with all his other mental qualities and philosophies, are a model for success and greatness in sports, business, politics, anything you can think of.
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[Bas]

Great post!!
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"Hate my game, my swagger. Hate my fadeaway, my hunger. Hate that I'm a veteran. A champion. Hate that. Hate it with all your heart. And hate that I'm loved, for the exact same reasons." - Kobe Bryant

[pio2u]

[evetssteve10]

May the fight for #6, for always one more, live on in us all. Thank you Kobe. That is your legacy. That fight will live on in us all and he showed us how.
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"Bryant has been the second best player in the NBA for over a decade, but the number 1 player changes every other year. Somehow the number 1 player always seems to fall down the list but Kobe just never moves up. ". The Art of Hating Kobe Bryant

[evetssteve10]

By the way, to me at least, 2013 and the Achilles and immediate aftermath is just as profound as any championship. It's a little overlooked IMO. He gave the game EVERYTHING because of one simple promise to the fans. That is legendary, and as or more inspiring than any ring that's ever been on his finger.


The same goes for his last game. That shot of him completely out of breath with nothing to give leaving every ounce of courage and guts he had out there and gave us a performance for the ages. He somehow turned a 17 win year into a Legacy.
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"Bryant has been the second best player in the NBA for over a decade, but the number 1 player changes every other year. Somehow the number 1 player always seems to fall down the list but Kobe just never moves up. ". The Art of Hating Kobe Bryant