Self-Driven Philosophy: the “Mamba Mentality” of Kobe Bryant

Name
Course Code/Title
Institutional Affiliation
Instructor
Date
Respect, Hard work, and Self-Driven Philosophy: the “Mamba Mentality” of Kobe Bryant, the “Black Mamba”
Introduction
Kobe Bryant is arguably the best-known basketballer of the modern era. Aptly nicknamed as the ‘Black Mamba’, Kobe gained a lot of fame from his aggressive style of play, humble demeanor off the court and a myriad of accolades from his exploits both in and out of basketball (Bryant np). This paper seeks to put the life and times of Kobe Bryant into perspective, taking into account the various achievements and accomplishments which molded a young high school basketball prodigy into a world-famous sensation. Kobe Bryant first gained fame after a charged high school playing career in Philadelphia, an experience that earned him his first professional accolade as a senior MVP in 1995, before being drafted to the NBA in the following year. Kobe enjoyed a wildly successful career from 1996 until his final playing season in 2016 after winning a myriad of championships and solo awards. This paper seeks to also demonstrate a manifestation of the Black Mamba mentality which pushed him forward to all he has achieved despite various legal issues and struggles with injury.
Thesis statement
This paper aims to illustrate the spirit behind Kobe Bryant’s iconic status as a respectful, hardworking and self-driven individual who grew to the very heights of fame. Kobe nicknamed himself as ‘Black Mamba’, with a similarly adapted mindset aptly labeled ‘Mamba Mentality’. This paper will illustrate how Kobe built himself up to be a global despite the various challenges he faced in his personal and professional aspects of life.
First Claim
Kobe Bryant insisted that an aggressive mentality breeds effort and hard work which leads to success. From his retirement speech, he mentioned his early work outs before dawn as a means of pushing himself forward. This is supported by his ‘Black Mamba’ moniker, likening himself to an agile and aggressive snake.
In his retirement speech, Kobe Bryant echoed a sentiment that he had embodied throughout his career. He attested to the fact that hard work propelled him from a basketball enthusiast to one of the most prolific players in recent history. He said that his dream of becoming successful drove him to work hard to perfect his playing style and ability. He said that he woke up at 4.30 am every morning to work out and train. That was accompanied by a healthy diet and training sessions with his teammates in a bid to better their ability to play together as a team.
Throughout his career, Kobe made his mark as the only player in NBA history to have his two jersey numbers retired by the same team. In his own words, Kobe said that he played wearing jersey number 8 while trying to prove himself to the world, and played with the jersey number 24 in the second half of his career as a period of growth into a significantly better individual.
In an Amazon book review, Kobe stated that the ‘Mamba’ mentality is all about focus and trusting in the process of hard work as an ultimate motivation for the competitive atmosphere (Bryant np). It started as a motivational phrase that grew into a proper mindset for individuals to overcome their various challenges as African Americans. Kobe argued that hard work vastly outweighs talent. He believed in his early morning workouts and working more than the persons standing next to him, and trusting in the invested practice when it is time to perform. He noted that lack of preparation was equivalent to letting fate drive one’s life and future, something he was never a fan of.
He insisted that his aim was always to kill his opposition, as is the case with the black mamba snake out in the wild. Proof of this killer mentality became clear to the world just before a game in New York in the year 2010. A Los Angeles Lakers team photographer came across Kobe Bryant in the dressing room before the game was about to start. The photographer proceeded to take a prolific photo that has since captured all the years of Kobe’s phenomenal career and attitude in a single moment. A visibly exhausted and injured Kobe was sitting in an ice cooler in preparation for a game despite his significant physical setbacks.
During his 20-year career, Bryant never required an excuse to shoot. His initial invasion of the paint against the Raptors provided all the support he required, and he immediately went to work from the border. His second basket went ahead a fadeaway turnaround jumper: a further Jordan staple that Kobe had perfected.
These shots were significantly more troublesome than he made them look. They required his legs to work as a balance while he floated in reverse to get a cleaner take a gander at the edge above or around his marker. On the off chance that a lesser player missed two or three these in succession, his mentor wouldn't hesitate to yank him from the game. Bryant worked with a lasting green light.
Kobe was always a risk to explode with a ferocious finish, as he did against the Raptors late in the second quarter. He frequently played with outrage: scowling, hollering, gnawing his jersey and endeavoring to rip off the basket. Like a Cy Young Award champ shifting speeds, Bryant switched back and forth between border flurries and paint attacks immediately. On the off chance that defenders packed him in hopes of testing his jumper, he would scurry toward the circle.
Second claim
Kobe Bryant proved that showing respect to opponents and having sportsmanship is one of the most significant emotions in the Mamba Mentality. He chose to believe in passion in the game, and optimism when he lost, with a resolve to work harder henceforth. He respectfully praised his opponents, something that won him a lot of respect. This is supported by his admission into the Naismith Basketball Hall of fame as a result of resolving never to cheat, lie to his fans and treating opponents ...