His NBA career may have just ended, but the passion to inspire doesn’t stop.
In the Manila stop of the Mamba Mentality Tour, the decorated superstar Kobe Bryant shared what’s it like to have the “Mamba Mentality” and how it has helped, not just him, but a lot of people.
The five-time champion, who is one of the iconic basketball players of all time, stated Mamba Mentality in his own terms. For him, there is always something to improve.
“It’s a constant quest to be the best version of yourself. It’s a quest to be better today than you were yesterday,” he said.
For him, it applies to almost everything. There’s no substitute for the hard work done in whatever situation and results will be limitless. On a lighter side, Bryant shared on how he made the approach even on the smallest of details.
“The other day at the house, my kids wanted me to make lasagna,” the former NBA MVP shared. “When I make the lasagna, it has to be the best lasagna that I could possibly make. Measure every detail of it.”
In the recently concluded NBA Finals, Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving made the pivotal three that gave the Cavs the advantage. Making big shots down the stretch is one of the uncanny abilities of Kobe, and he was impressed by how the young Irving gave credit to Bryant’s killer instinct in late game situations.
“I feel great about it(on Kyrie’s interview on saying he had ‘Mamba Mentality’. It means everything I’ve done in my career, as it doesn’t just stay in the history books, or in form of trophies or medals,” he added. “It’s being given to the next generation and hopefully they can do the same. The fact that he was thinking about that in a Game 7 means that I’ve done something more.”
The mission to spread out the motto’s message is the current goal of Bryant.
From his impressive work ethic, to the incredible 81-point game, then to the championships he got, and now touring to inspire, the Lakers All-time leading scorer stressed out the importance of giving back by giving motivation to his spectators.
“It goes to inspire them. It’s extremely important more so now,” Bryant added. “I get to teach and spread the message to come up with different ways to help people be the best version of themselves.”
Bryant will train selected players, who went to try out last June 22-23, in his Kobe Academy tomorrow. He will have his Mamba Mentality night event later today at the Araneta Coliseum to witness his 20-year legacy.
