What? Kobe Bryant is gone?
Kobe Bryant’s death was a shock to the world. He had a sharp mind and brilliant soul that touched us all. His inspiration traveled beyond basketball players to all athletes and all people.
Brett Ledbetter, author of the book, “What Drives Winning,” breaks down one of Bryant’s many of interviews in a video from 2017. In the video, many topics are discussed. Here are some things we can learn to boost our game, and have the same #MambaMentality that Kobe Bryant possessed so well.
Think Tactically, Not Emotionally.
During his rookie season, Bryant airballed four shots in a row in a playoff game against the Utah Jazz. When asked about this game, the first thought that came to mind was “Dang, I should have made them.” Instead of being down about his struggles he took a step back and asked himself why he didn’t make them.
A lot of the times as athletes, we are quick to sulk in our mistakes and put ourselves down, but what if we changed that mentality? After all, frustration gets us nowhere, and it sets a pessimistic tone on the court/field.
Instead of saying, “Wow, I suck,” say “How can I fix it?”
Bryant went on to inform that his legs were tired, due to playing many more games in the NBA than he did in high school. He was able to fix this by training his body to adapt to the rigid schedule that he endured in the NBA.
When we think tactically as opposed to emotionally, we are able to fix our mistakes and improve our overall game. We are only as good as what our mind lets us think about ourselves.
Love to win or hate to lose? Bryant said neither.
I’m sure that there are many athletes who love to win and many who hate to lose. There are even some who could agree with both statements. However, Bryant disagreed to both choices.
To be completely honest, I was confused as to what he meant by this, but digging deeper it makes complete sense
When we play with the fear of losing, it holds us back from our full potential, and we eventually cave in to that fear. When we play with the only goal in mind of winning, it puts pressure on ourselves as to what would happen if we lost.
“If you find common ground in the middle, you’re not phased by anything. You are able to stay connected in the moment, and stay focused to what is in front of you.”
Staying in the moment. It is something so simple, yet so important for us as athletes, us as students, and us as people. We cannot change the past mistakes we make or the games we lost. We can only control what is in front of us, what happens next.
Failure Doesn’t Exist.
“What do you mean failure doesn’t exist, Kobe? There is a losing team every game.”
When asked what he does to overcome failure, Bryant claimed that failure is just something that is in your head.
“It’s a figment of your imagination,” he stated.
Jonathon Wells from The Healer’s Journal added to this statement. He writes “If you believe you have failed, then you have. If you believe you don’t have the ability to succeed, then you won’t.”
The only way to fail is to stop. As long as we continue to progress towards our goal, we can never fail. What most people think is failure is only a learning experience for Bryant. If we base our athletic performance on success or failure, we have already failed.
Bryant was an illustration of “Process over outcome.” He stayed curious throughout his career and life. He wanted to learn as much as he possibly could, even beyond the lines of the basketball court.
While one could say he played like there was no tomorrow, Zito Madu from SB Nation viewed Kobe’s life from a different perspective.
“Bryant behaved as if there were infinite tomorrows,” he claims.
We have all heard that phrase, “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” Well, Kobe Bryant lived by that mentality. He created his own version of reality, and failure was not apart of it. We then look back and think to ourselves, “Is that why he was so successful?”
Kobe Bryant’s death was tragic, but he left this world better than it was before. I challenge you to be able to walk away from every practice, every game, and every day with this quote in mind:
“I left no stone unturned. I tried and learned as much as I possibly could to be the best possible player that I could possibly be to help my team be the best team that it could possibly be.”
Kobe Bryant
RIP Mamba.
Speaking of Athletes 
