Mamba Monday Week 4 | Get Over Yourself

Kobe Bryant was a killer on the court who was known for never backing down from a challenge, a moment, or an opponent.

He had a level of confidence and fearlessness that very few can match, and that, matched with his drive and discipline, is what helped him become one of the greatest athletes ever.

But he had to overcome a lot of adversity when he first came into the NBA. He didn’t start at first, and he played limited minutes as a rookie. His teammates weren’t the most welcoming and they didn’t have a hard time telling him.

One of the lowest moments of his rookie season came when the Lakers were taking on the Utah Jazz in the playoffs. At the end of the game, Kobe shot 4 airballs in a 5-minute span.

He cost his team the game and the series with those air balls. It could have completely ruined some people. Most people don’t even want the ball in their hands at the most important moments of the game, but Kobe did and failed in the worst way.

His teammate Shaq, with who Kobe had an up and down relationship, put his arm around his shoulder and said, “Look at all these people laughing at you. One day we’re going to get them back. Don’t worry. Someday everybody’s going to be screaming your name. Take this and learn from it.”

When asked about it years later, Kobe said that he was fine after the misses. He said, “Okay? I shot 5 airballs on national TV in front of millions of people that cost us the series, and I’m 18, but I’m fine.”

When he was asked how does someone get mentally and emotionally strong enough to where that level of public humiliation doesn’t bother him.

Kobe said, “You have to look at the reality of the situation. You have to get over yourself. It’s not about you. Okay, you feel embarrassed? You’re not that important. If you are worried about how people may perceive you, and you are embarrassed because you shot 5 air balls, then get over yourself.”

He then said that after you get over yourself, you look at why those airballs happened:

“In high school, we played 35 games, a week in between, and spaced out. You get plenty of time to rest. In the NBA, it’s back, to back, to back, to back, to back, to back, to back, I didn’t have the legs. If you look at the shots, every shot was online, but every shot was short. So I’ve got to get stronger and I have to train differently. The weight training program that I am doing, I have to tailor it for an 82-game season, so that when the playoffs come around, my legs are stronger and the ball gets there.

So, I looked at it rationally. The reason that I shot airballs was because my legs weren’t there. Next year, they’ll be there.”

The next morning, Kobe was in the gym shooting 14-foot jump shots.

What Can We Learn From This?

You are only the main character in your own story. You are only a supporting character in everyone else’s story.

Your successes and failures only mean the world to you. As Kobe said, “Get over yourself.” Get out there and try. Try, fail, and try again.

And learn from every experience. If you are missing your shots short, get stronger and put more legs into it.

Didn’t make the team? Work harder and get better for next season.

Get over yourself, then figure out what happened, why it happened, and what you can do to learn from it.

Then try again.