The Mamba Mentality: How I Play

by Kobe Bryant

you really want to be great at something, you have to truly care about it. If you want to be great in a particular area, you have to obsess over it. A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness. They have other concerns, whether important or not, and they spread themselves out. That’s totally fine. After all, greatness is not for everybody.

What I’m saying is greatness isn’t easy to achieve. It requires a lot of time, a lot of sacrifices. It requires a lot of tough choices. It requires your loved ones to sacrifice, too, so you have to have an understanding circle of family and friends. People don’t always understand just how much effort from how many people goes into one person chasing a dream to be great.

My balance, as a young player, is off. Just look at the dichotomy between us, starting with posture. Michael is standing straight from the waist up. He’s not leaning in either direction, and because of that he is balanced and centered. He is in control of his body, and the play. Compare all that to my defense. Now, I’m using my forearm to thrust weight into his back, just like they teach it. Unfortunately, that’s about all I’m doing right. I’m leaning forward, which is a major no-no, and putting too much pressure on him. That alone, by dint of gravity, causes me to be off-balance. As a result, one move by Michael, one decisive spin right or feint left, would throw me off and give him room to either shoot or spin off of me. This defense is definitely no bueno.

What separates great players from all-time great players is their ability to self-assess, diagnose weaknesses, and turn those flaws into strengths.