Mamba Mondays - Life Lessons Through Basketball

Kobe Bryant was known for his Mamba Mentality. The Mamba Mentality means, "Trying to be the best version of yourself." It means, "Every day, you are trying to become better."

One of the pillars of Mamba Mentality is passion. Passion is love in action. It was no secret that Kobe looked up to Michael Jordan. Here is what Jordan said about passion:

"The greatest thing about the game of basketball, to me, is the passion; the love that I have for it. Because when you have love for anything, you'll go to the extreme to maintain that love. That's what love does; love drives you to do everything you need to do to maintain that connection. If I didn't have that love for the game of basketball, all of the things that have panned out in my career would have never been achievable. It was truly my love for the game that kept me pushing to be the best basketball player that I can be. To be the best, at anything, you gotta have a certain love for that to overcome all of the obstacles that's going to be thrown in your way. That's what the game of basketball has been for me."

Kobe Bryant said that his passion came from his love of the game. He loved everything about the game, including the smell of the gym, the sound of the ball bouncing, and the sound of the shoes squeaking on the floor.

When he was asked if there was one moment that defined his passion for basketball, Kobe said:

"It never leaves. The game is just a part of me. Even now that I’m retired, everything that I have learned from the game of basketball, I’ve carried over into life.

Basketball has helped me be a better person, a better friend, and a better father because there are life lessons within the game like communication, unselfishness, attention to detail, empathy, and compassion.

All those things are in the game, and as athletes, if we are aware of those things, it helps us become better human beings."

When Kobe was asked if he could apply those things to his post-basketball days, to retirement, and into his business world and future ventures, Kobe said:

"Sure. I was applying that even while I was playing to life outside of the game, and even more so now in building a business and all these things and determining what kind of culture you want to have. All those things are directly learned from the game of basketball for me."

Falling in love with the games we play can take us all around the world, and it can teach us so much about life. 

Because Kobe fell in love with the game of basketball, he was able to take learn valuable life lessons and apply them to create a successful life outside of basketball.