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8 Lessons We Can Learn From Kobe Bryant's Basketball Career

8 Lessons We Can Learn From Kobe Bryant's Basketball Career
Venessa Marie Perry
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Entrepreneur, Psychologist, Author, Health and Relationship strategist helping people and organizations transform one day at a time.

Entrepreneur, Psychologist, Author, Health and Relationship strategist helping people and organizations transform one day at a time.
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The illustrious career of Kobe Bryant has come to an end. After 20 years, five NBA championships, 18 All-Star appearances, four NBA All-Star Most Valuable Player awards, two NBA finals MVPs, one NBA MVP and numerous other accolades and awards, he is clearly one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Despite being a diehard Celtics fan, I admire Kobe and the legacy he built with the Lakers franchise. I've followed his career through the ups and downs, and he's always been a class act. Even through adversity, he showed a tenaciousness that is unparalleled.

People loved to hate Kobe Bryant because of his basketball skills, commitment and dedication to a game that he loved. He was unapologetic about his discipline and what it took to be one of the greatest players to play the game. The media thought he was arrogant. In fact, in a scathing article in Rolling Stone titled "Kobe Bryant: Goodbye to the NBA's All-Time Asshole", it states:

In an NBA where hot-take hero worship, gravitas-laden branding and unbridled dickwaddery thrive, Kobe lies at the intersection of all three. His retirement marks the end of early-Aughts hero-ball, and as such, the end of an era. So perhaps, of all the many magical gifts that Kobe has given us, his greatest legacy is, that upon his leaving, we can now -- at long fucking last -- move on to something better.

Kobe is the master of the game. He built the Lakers franchise on his back. There's no denying this. Like Michael Jordan, he succeeded because of sheer will. He practiced and he denied himself of many things so he could focus on being the best. We have to applaud him for that.

Kobe's basketball career can teach us many things about life. He exemplified greatness and there are many lessons we can take from here. These are just a few.

  1. Commitment: When we pledge to give our all, we don't let anything distract us. Like a marriage through the good times and bad, it's important to remain steadfast. Kobe showed us how committed he was to the Lakers when they were good and even now that they're not so good.

  • Dedication: When we devote ourselves to a goal or purpose, we don't stop until we've mastered it or realize it's time to quit. Kobe mastered the game and rather than stay until he couldn't play or didn't love it anymore, he walked away. His legacy on the court shows us that we can quit strategically.

  • Practice: Practice makes perfect. If you want to improve and get better you have to do it over and over again until it becomes second nature. Kobe practiced relentlessly. Through sheer talent, ability and practice he set numerous records in points, free throws and games played.

  • Discipline: To achieve your goals you have to be disciplined. It requires extreme focus in which you don't allow outside influences to distract you.

  • Tenacity: You have to be able to keep going even when people and things come against you. Challenges will come, but it's how you deal with them that will determine how successful you become. Kobe endured a criminal case, loss of endorsements and a fall from grace as a model player at one time. Yet, like dust he proved that he could still rise.

  • Vision: From the time Kobe was a young boy he loved the Lakers. He envisioned that if he worked hard he could be a Laker or a Sixer. He was drafted by Charlotte and traded to the Lakers for the rest of his career. The power of vision will allow you to manifest any dream or idea that you have.

  • Sacrifice: Success doesn't come easy. It comes with sacrifice. Sometimes that sacrifice can be to our detriment but if properly channeled it can be our greatest reward. I don't know everything he sacrificed, but I'm sure time on the road away from his family and friends took its toll. He lost friends and rivals along the way to become one of the top NBA players of all time. He is hated and beloved because of it.

  • Determination: It's important that we're purposeful about the things in life we desire. Kobe was so determined to play in the NBA that he skipped high school. He knew that if he were drafted he would do everything in his power to be the best. He set a goal and put a plan in place to accomplish it.

    • Kobe Bryant, a legend, a role model, who with the epitome of grace and class, left the game after leaving it all on the floor every night for the last 20 years. He left us with numerous memories of great basketball games and showmanship. He taught us a lot about the game, but mostly about what it takes to be the best. You will be missed Black Mamba. Salute!

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