3 Lessons I Learned From Kobe Bryant

Most kids today who watch basketball, idolize guys like Stephen Curry, Lebron James, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and all the other current all stars in the NBA today. When I was a kid though, there was one player who everybody idolized and looked up to, that player was Kobe Bryant. Kobe was a player who could do it all. He can score, shoot, pass, rebound, defend, and do low post moves better than most big men in his time. Whenever people round my age shoot, they scream "Kobe!" Even when kids pretend to play basketball around a garbage can in a classroom, when they shoot, they scream "Kobe!" That's how Kobe affected the basketball world forever. He was my generation's Michael Jordan.

There are some lessons I learned from Kobe Bryant, lessons that can be applied anywhere not just in basketball.

1) Work Super Hard to Become Super Successful

"I heard the ball bouncing. No lights were on. Practice was at about 11, it was probably about 9, 9:30. And I go out to the court and I look, and there's Kobe Bryant. He's out there shooting in the dark. And I stood there for probably about ten seconds, and I said, 'This kid is gonna be great.'" -Byron Scott

If there was one thing insane about Kobe Bryant, it was his insane work ethic. There were many stories about Kobe's work ethic from his former teammates and the people around him. Stories like how he was the very first player to arrive in the court and the last player to leave the court. One story I heard was that Kobe slept for only 3-4 hours and use those extra waking hours to practice. Whenever I play basketball to practice it's even less than 30 minutes!

This was a huge part in Kobe Bryant's success in his NBA career. He was willing to work harder than any other player in the league. We can all see how that turned out as he became one of the top 10 NBA players of all time. 

If you want to be super successful at anything then you have to work super hard also. If you want to be a top person of all time in your field, then be prepared to work, hustle, and grind like you never did before.

2) Be Resilient When Faced with an Obstacle

“I have moments and I have days where I doubt myself. But to me, that’s the exciting part of the challenge.That’s when I realize this is a great opportunity to come out and show everybody this is how you bounce back. This is how you respond to a challenge.” – Kobe Bryant

Hardcore Kobe fans remember his "airball game" when he was a rookie in the NBA. It happened against the Utah Jazz in the post season where he shot a few air balls which caused them to lose the series against the Jazz. Kobe faced a lot of criticism and hate during this time. He even doubted himself. He could have folded and played normally, but he used this as motivation. The season after that in his first game against the Jazz, Kobe scored 23 points off the bench beating the Jazz that game, getting his revenge.

Everybody faces adversity, obstacles, and setbacks in their lives. Nobody in the world has never experienced some form of failure or rejection in their lives. What defines us is how we respond to these setbacks in our lives. Successful people have a tendency to bounce back after every failure or setback that happens to them.

3) Learn From Other People

“I cold call people and pick their brain about stuff. Some of the questions I ask seem really really simple and some of them seem stupid, quite honestly, for them. But if I don’t know, I don’t know. I have to ask. I’ll just do that and ask questions. I want to learn more about how they build their business and how they run their companies and how they see the world.” – Kobe Bryant

After Kobe's basketball career, he ventured into other fields and became an entrepreneur. Last year, he even won an Oscar for an animated short film he did titled "Dear Basketball." 

This shows that you can be successful at any area you choose. In the case of Kobe, just because he was a basketball player for most of his life, doesn't mean he only going to be successful in that field. With the right training, practice and coaching, anyone can become successful at almost anything. It also helps if you ask for advice from people who are already successful at that field you want to be successful at. 

Kobe Bryant is a basketball legend. We can learn many things from his basketball career and his life. If you want to model your success after any NBA player, then Kobe might be one of the best role models out there.