Kobe Bryant

Who

Kobe Bryant went straight from high school to the NBA in 1996 and played all twenty of his seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won five championships and is one of the highest scorers in the league’s history. After retiring he wrote books and won an Academy Award for the animated short Dear Basketball. He died in a helicopter accident in 2020.

Operating rules

Start before everyone else. Teammates and trainers have told many stories of him working out before dawn, long before practice began. The extra hours added up over twenty years in a way talent alone could not.

Study the craft like a student. He watched game film constantly, his own and his opponents’. He studied the footwork of the great players before him and copied what worked until it was his own.

Break skills into small parts. He drilled single movements, such as a pivot, a fake or a footwork pattern, over and over, until they held up under pressure. Mastery was built from pieces, not from inspiration.

Adapt as the body changes. As he aged and lost some speed, he relied more on footwork, positioning and reading the game. The standard stayed the same, while the method changed.

What I borrowed

My runs happen early in the morning, before the day can argue with them. From his film study I took the spirit of my quarterly review: watching my own tape honestly, without excuses, and choosing one small skill to drill next.

What I won’t copy

How hard he was on teammates in his early years. He has been described as demanding to the point of driving people away. I want the standard without that cost to the team.