The Mamba Mentality: How I Play - A Comprehensive Summary
Kobe Bryant inspired a generation of basketball players worldwide with sublime skills and unquenchable competitive fire.
He earned Los Angeles' eternal adoration during his two decades as the fierce soul of the beloved Lakers, and he was respected by basketball fans from every place with a hoop and a dream, including his native Philadelphia and in Italy, his other childhood home.
Less than four years into his retirement, Bryant was seizing new challenges and working to inspire his daughters' generation through sports and storytelling when his next chapter ended shockingly early.
Bryant established a reputation for taking shots in the closing moments of tight games, even when he was double or triple-teamed, and was noted as one of the premier closers in the NBA. In a 2012 annual survey of NBA general managers, Bryant was selected for the 10th consecutive season as the player general managers would want to take a clutch shot with a game on the line. Bryant enjoyed being the villain, and reveled in being booed and then silencing the crowd with his play.
His ability to make difficult shots has also drawn criticism of his shot selection. Throughout his career, Bryant was disparaged for being a selfish, high-volume shooter; he missed more field goal attempts in his career than any other player in NBA history.[g] Phil Jackson, who coached Bryant for many years, stated that Bryant "tends to force the action, especially when the game isn't going his way. When his shot is off, Kobe will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns."
According to Bryant, "I would go 0 for 30 before I would go 0 for 9; 0 for 9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game.”
In addition to his abilities on offense, Bryant also established himself as a standout defensive player. Bryant rarely drew charges when he played defense, which he believed spared his body and contributed to his longevity. Some critics have suggested that Bryant's defensive accolades in his later years were based more on his reputation than his actual play.
Bryant was also lauded for his work ethic. Throughout his first 16 seasons, his body was resilient, and he exhibited a high pain threshold while often playing through injuries. A fierce competitor, Bryant made opponents and teammates alike the objects of his scorn. Many players have considered him difficult to play with because of his high level of commitment and performance.
According to sportswriter Mark Heisler of Forbes, "Kobe was the most alienated superstar the NBA had ever seen." He did, however, lead the Lakers to two championships after the departure of Shaquille O'Neal; during this period, he became more of a mentor to his teammates than he had been earlier in his career. Bryant's longtime head coach Phil Jackson noted that the biggest difference between his first and second stints in coaching the Lakers was if Bryant talked to teammates in his earlier years with the Lakers, it was usually, "Give me the damn ball." During the latter period, "[Bryant] embraced the team and his teammates, calling them up when we were on the road and inviting them out to dinner. It was as if the other players were now his partners, not his personal spear-carriers”
Kobe Bryant was a well-known American basketball player. A capturing protect, Bryant entered the national Basketball affiliation (NBA) directly from high school and played his entire 20-season professional career inside the league with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant won five NBA championships, changed into an 18-time All-superstar, 15-time member of the All-NBA crew; a 12-time member of the All-protective team turned into named the 2008 NBA most precious participant (MVP) and changed into a -time NBA Finals MVP winner. One of the greatest players regarded as of all time, he led the NBA in scoring at some stage in two seasons, ranks 4th at the league's all-time regular-season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists.
He attended Lower Merion excessive school in Pennsylvania, wherein he changed into identified as the pinnacle excessive-college basketball player in the USA. Upon commencement, he declared for the 1996 NBA draft and changed into decided on with the aid of the Charlotte Hornets with the thirteenth universal choice; the Hornets then traded him to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself recognition as an excessive-flyer and a fan preferred by prevailing the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, and he became named an All-megastar by using his 2nd season. Despite a feud with teammate Shaquille O'Neal, the pair led the Lakers to 3 consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault. Criminal charges had been delivered which were dropped after the accuser refused to testify, and later settled out of court. Bryant denied the attack, however, admitted to a sexual congress, and issued a public apology; however, the allegations had been considered to have harmed his public profile and caused the loss of numerous sponsorships.
When the Lakers Lost the 2004 NBA Championships, O'Neal was traded, and Bryant became the keystone of the Lakers. He commanded the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. In 2006, he scored a profession-high 81 points; the second-most points scored in a single sport in league records, in the back of Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. Bryant led the team to 2 consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named NBA Finals MVP on both occasions. He persevered to be the various pinnacle gamers in the league via 2013, while he suffered a torn Achilles tendon at age 34. Although he recovered from that damage, he suffered season-ending accidents to his knee and shoulder, respectively, in the following seasons. Mentioning his bodily decline, Bryant retired after the 2015–16 season.
At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant has become the youngest participant in league history to reach 30,000 career factors. He became the best-ever leading scorer in Lakers franchise history on February 1, 2010, surpassing Jerry West. Bryant turned into also the primary protect in NBA history to play at the least 20 seasons. His 18 All-superstar designations are the second-most all-time, at the same time as it's far the document for most consecutive appearances as a starter. Bryant's four All-famous person MVP Awards are tied with Bob Pettit for the most in NBA history. At the 2008 and 2012 summer season Olympics, he received two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National team. In 2018, he received the Academy Award for a quality lively brief film for his 2017 movie expensive Basketball.
Former pro basketball participant Kobe Bryant gained 5 NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers even as establishing himself as one in every of the sport's all-time greats.
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