Mamba considered fatherhood his greatest achievement
Mamba mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most,” the late Kobe Bryant told Amazon Book Review for his book, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play.
“It’s the ultimate mantra for the competitive spirit. It started just as a hashtag that came to me one day, and it’s grown into something athletes and even non-athletes embrace as a mindset.”
Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant may have died early at 41, but the 20 years he spent overachieving in his beloved sport inspired and stimulated people around the world to work hard, to dominate in whatever they do.
“Hard work outweighs talent every time. Mamba mentality is about 4 a.m. workouts, doing more than the next guy and then trusting in the work you’ve put in when it’s time to perform. Without studying, preparation and practice, you’re leaving the outcome to fate. I don’t do fate,” Kobe explained.
“I always aimed to kill the opposition,” he wrote. “The main thing LeBron and I discussed was what constitutes a killer mentality. He watched how I approached every single practice, and I constantly challenged him and the rest of the guys. I remember there was one halftime when we were messing around. I came into the locker room at halftime and asked the guys in a less PG manner what in the hell we were doing. In the second half, LeBron responded in a big way. He came out with a truly dominant mindset. And I’ve seen him lead that way ever since.”
“(Kobe) will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share it with future generations of players, taking special delight in passing down his love of the game to Gianna.”
Despite his two Olympic gold medals, his five NBA Championship rings, 18-time All Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 2008 MVP, two-time NBA Finals MVP, and Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, Dear Basketball, Kobe considered fatherhood his greatest accomplishment. (Incidentally, Kobe was the first former professional athlete to be nominated and to win an Academy Award.)
“Being a father is the thing I am most proud of in this world; it’s my greatest accomplishment,” he said. “I’ve learned so much, but perhaps the most profound thing has been the fierce, unconditional love you have for your children when you become a parent. I’m blessed to have had that experience four times now and there’s nothing more powerful in this world.”
Gianna, or Gigi, 13 years old, died with him in the helicopter crash on their way to a Sunday basketball game in their Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks. He had three other daughters with his wife Vanessa. The eldest is accomplished volleyball athlete Natalia, 17; Bianka, three; and Capri, eight months old.
At 7 a.m. that Sunday, Kobe and Gianna attended Sunday Mass and received communion at the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Angels in Newport Beach. After Mass, father and daughter went to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana to board the Sikorsky S-76B at 9:06 a.m., which crashed into the Calabasas hills one hour later.
In a Facebook post, Bishop Timothy Freyer mourned the casualties and offered prayers. “Kobe was an icon who inspired us through his words and actions to set our goals, work hard and achieve our dreams. He was a committed Catholic who loved his family and loved his faith. A long-time Orange County resident and parishioner in our diocese, Kobe would frequently attend Mass and sit in the back of the church so that his presence would not distract people from focusing on Christ’s presence. Please join me in praying for the victims. May God grant their loved ones peace and bring them comfort during these difficult times,” the bishop wrote.
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