Transcription
Where you rank Kobe Bryant is up to you. Most have them third behind Jordan and LeBron as far as guards and wings go. Some don't even have them top five.
One thing I feel that's undeniable: he's one of the most savage players of all time. Now, when I say savage, not only do I mean physical toughness, but more so mentally and emotionally. A psychological warfare Kobe used is quickly becoming legendary. Let's take a look at why Kobe is the way he is.
First thing I wanted to investigate was, is there a competitive gene? Why do some athletes seem to want it more? It appears through all the research that's been done, all the conclusions are very subjective. No one has pinpointed an actual strand of DNA that some possess that others don't. And so, the nature versus nurture conundrum appears again.
So I started to look for common personality traits in guys like Brady, Jordan, and Kobe. The first thing that stuck out was they all seem to be difficult people to hold relationships with. They have that edge, or what I like to call the [ __ ] gene. Is this a personality trait they've learned from their environment, or were they predisposed to this trait?
Enter oxytocin. Oxytocin is a powerful hormone. It acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain, aka the love hormone. It's released during sex, childbirth, and any kind of intimate bonding. It influences social behavior and emotion. Studies show that people with higher levels of oxytocin show more empathy and compassion. Without getting too far into the science, a hypothesis is people like Kobe, Brady, and Jordan have lower levels of oxytocin, which means they're less empathetic and compassionate towards others.
Now, in our personal lives, as a friend, a father, or a brother, this could be considered a weakness. But as an athlete, I have no doubt it's a competitive edge. You simply care less about your opponent's, giving you the ability to crush their spirits without blinking an eye.
Now let's take a look at the nurture aspect of who Kobe is. Moving to Italy at 6 years old, I believe Kobe began to use basketball as his identity. With the success of the Dream Team, basketball was growing in popularity throughout Europe. It was a way for a lanky black kid from Philly to not necessarily fit in, but be accepted, which is what all kids are in search of at that age. By all accounts, Kobe loved his time in Italy, adapting to the culture and truly learning the fundamentals of the game.
Fast forward to a 13-year-old Kobe who found himself back in Philadelphia, getting ready for his freshman year. Seven years in Italy, Kobe was nothing like his new peers at Lower Merion. So once again, basketball would be the vessel used for itself. Kobe brought the school state championships every year, but fitting in wouldn't be as easy. Not only is he cut from a different cloth than most at this point, culturally, he was different from his time in Italy. Though he may not have been conscious of it yet, this is where I believe the Mamba was really born. Instead of trying to fit in, who separated himself even more. This is where he started to alchemy the negative energy into fuel. We all know how far that fuel took him.
Did he rely on it too much? You know what they say, your greatest strength is your weakness. A relentless search of specific personal defects that can be overcome, as if the achievement of perfection in the present might erase the battle days of the past. Ultimately, I believe Kobe's pursuit of acceptance is what drives him. And once he discovered the power of his anger and hate, he purposely created it. Even though it is core, he wanted to be loved. As Kobe got strong, we were more confident. As a lone, we started to prey on the sight of less confident and fragile players, realizing he could create even more of an advantage mentally than physically.
Now, trash talk on the court is nothing new. Most players are accustomed to dealing with that by the time they finish high school. Kobe was playing chess, not checkers. When engaged, he would lash out on the court, but it was the more subtle psychological tactics that would be most effective in building his oral story.
1. Kobe breaks his wrist. By former Lakers teammate John Celestine. Kobe was always the first person to practice every day, arriving at least an hour and a half early. This would infuriate me because I wanted to be the first person to practice, just like I had always been at Villanova. I'm ashamed to say that I was excited the day after the injury because I knew there was no way number 8 would be the first to practice, if he would be there at all. But as I walked through the training room, I became stricken with fear when I heard a ball bouncing. No, no, it couldn't be. Yes, it could. Kobe was already in a full sweat with the cast on his right arm, dribbling and shooting with his left.
2. The art of war. There's a theory that I credit to Ric Bucher that during one of the Olympic summers, with a young Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook just entering their prime, Kobe went out of his way to work with Russell Westbrook, playing one-on-one and working with him, and was just constantly in his ear, letting him know how good he was and how he needed to step up and be the man. The theory has it that Kobe was trying to drive a wedge between a young Westbrook and Kevin Durant, which would weaken this powerhouse Oklahoma City Thunder team, like the championship Lakers.
Now, I'm going to get to our three o'clock. I want to make sure I'd make 400 main shots before I go back into the room. And then I sit in a sauna. I get ready for so do I see some Kobe Bryant already work now. So once I set my foot across that line, I start working out. And I worked out for a good hour, hour and a half. And when I came off after I was done, I sat down. And of course, I still heard the ball bounce. Look down like this. Work now. I think he was working out like it looks like he was in a good sweat. When I'm downward, and he's still going. And felt like his moves are not a lot. Lainey fear. He's doing like game movies, you know. Um, I sit there and I unleash my fusion mechanics. How long this goes? Very much 25 minutes. You got doing okay. I think that's good enough. Go play. You know, come back. Getting a sauna. Get ready for the game. That'd be me. Jump school years. Okay. And after the game is over, I'm like, half a stack. I have to understand like, why, why he works like that. So afternoons I'm like, hey, so like, why were you in the gym for so long? Because I saw you come in. Ha ha. I want you to know that it doesn't matter how hard you work, that I'm willing to work harder than you. Wow.
Or how about the infamous 40-mile bike ride the night before Team USA started? Now, of course, there were physical benefits to all of this training, but the Jay Williams story lets you know the real method to his madness. Guys were at a psychological disadvantage every time they stepped on the court with Kobe, knowing he had worked hard, went to bed earlier, and just wanted it more. I come back again to my favorite saying, our strength is our weakness. And ultimately, Kobe's drive and crazy work habits led to his body betraying him.
Now you see current star players valuing rest over rust and longevity over peaks. A lot of the time in life, though, the further we are removed from something or someone, the better we can appreciate them, especially when we realize we won't see anything like it again.