Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

Abstract

75">I remember the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKTLxG0wGfg">dunk contest</a>.I remember the <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2018/08/27/kobe-bryant-signature-shoes-nike-adidas">shoes</a>.I remember the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi6fftt43xo">airballs in the playoffs</a>.I remember the Colorado trial.I remember the beef with Shaq.That is to say, I remember the highs and the lows. I remember when Kobe wanted to be traded. I remember when Phil Jackson said he was uncoachable. I remember when he scored 81 points. I remember when he refused to score against the Suns.Looking back, it’s surprising how much I remember.The story of my life in Los Angeles can’t be told without the number 8 and the number 24.Kobe was not a perfect person. He wasn’t a perfect player, either. But he was our guy and to every Angeleno, that’s what mattered.<h2 id="0540">What I Learned from Kobe</h2>I remember when he died, some people wanted to talk about only the highs. The streaks, the rings, the Mamba Mentality. Others wanted to dig up the dirt of the past.I simply wanted to remember.And to take the lesson of who Kobe was to heart.Kobe was born with a lot of talent and opportunity. His father was a gifted basketball player who played professi

Options

onally. He was also tall. Kobe grew to be 6'6, the same height as his idol, Michael Jordan. Not everyone is that tall or that coordinated or has the same pedigree.But some people are.And a lot of people who make the NBA have the same if not greater talent and height and coordination.But Kobe, through sheer determination and hard work, turned himself into <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BBOwPwRyrQ">an almost indistinguishable facsimile of the greatest player of all time</a>. Watch the video. Seriously, watch it.Kobe had posters of Michael Jordan on his wall and through mindset, practice, and willpower became him.That’s the lesson of Kobe.That’s Mamba Mentality.<figure id="cf18"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*ugmsXCKD1KMs88H0"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@fredasem?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Freddy Kearney</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure>Don’t sell yourself short. And don’t think of Kobe as someone whom you could never be. That would dishonor his name. If you remember Kobe today remember what he taught us — that “hard work outweighs talent every time.” If you’re willing to get in the gym, you can achieve your dreams.Thank you, Kobe.</article></body>

When Kobe Died

A reflection on what made him great

January 26, 2020

I was at church.

I still remember where I was.

My phone kept going off, text after text coming in. I’m not that popular so it struck me as weird. But I was in church. I left my phone in my pocket.

After service I saw the words, “…and Gianna was with him.” Wait — what? I read the entire text from my buddy from Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant, past his basketball prime but right thick in the prime of his life, had died in a helicopter accident. Along with his daughter, Gianna.

That was four years ago, today.

What Kobe Meant to Angelenos

I grew up in Los Angeles (though I don’t live there anymore). I was a kid when Kobe (also a kid, really) was drafted by the Lakers straight out of high school.

I remember the hype.

I remember the dunk contest.

I remember the shoes.

I remember the airballs in the playoffs.

I remember the Colorado trial.

I remember the beef with Shaq.

That is to say, I remember the highs and the lows. I remember when Kobe wanted to be traded. I remember when Phil Jackson said he was uncoachable. I remember when he scored 81 points. I remember when he refused to score against the Suns.

Looking back, it’s surprising how much I remember.

The story of my life in Los Angeles can’t be told without the number 8 and the number 24.

Kobe was not a perfect person. He wasn’t a perfect player, either. But he was our guy and to every Angeleno, that’s what mattered.

What I Learned from Kobe

I remember when he died, some people wanted to talk about only the highs. The streaks, the rings, the Mamba Mentality. Others wanted to dig up the dirt of the past.

I simply wanted to remember.

And to take the lesson of who Kobe was to heart.

Kobe was born with a lot of talent and opportunity. His father was a gifted basketball player who played professionally. He was also tall. Kobe grew to be 6'6, the same height as his idol, Michael Jordan. Not everyone is that tall or that coordinated or has the same pedigree.

But some people are.

And a lot of people who make the NBA have the same if not greater talent and height and coordination.

But Kobe, through sheer determination and hard work, turned himself into an almost indistinguishable facsimile of the greatest player of all time. Watch the video. Seriously, watch it.

Kobe had posters of Michael Jordan on his wall and through mindset, practice, and willpower became him.

That’s the lesson of Kobe.

That’s Mamba Mentality.

Don’t sell yourself short. And don’t think of Kobe as someone whom you could never be. That would dishonor his name. If you remember Kobe today remember what he taught us — that “hard work outweighs talent every time.” If you’re willing to get in the gym, you can achieve your dreams.

Thank you, Kobe.