Mamba Mondays | Sacrifices

In December 2009, Kobe had a serious injury to his right index finger; he had broken his index finger on his shooting hand. When his trainer, Gary Viti, told him about the fracture, Kobe said, "Alright, cool, now get me back out there.

Kobe said that Gary looked at him like he was crazy, but Kobe asked him, "Is it going to get better? When Gary said no, Kobe said, "Exactly. There is nothing we can do about it now, and it can't get words, so tape it up and let's go."

Every time he got on the court, every shootaround, practice, and game, he would apply a splint on his finger. Then they would wrap it over and over again. The ball would still hurt every time it hit his finger, but mentally he knew he had the protection to absorb just enough of the pain, and he would play through the rest.

Kobe Bryant once said, "A lot of people say they want to be great, but they're not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness."

This injury caused Kobe to change how he shot the basketball. He went from guiding the ball with his index and middle finger to just using his middle finger. Making that shift took some time. He had to mentally download the software that was the new form, and then he had to drill it over and over again. 

He would make 1,000s of shots during that time, trying to relearn this new shooting style.

Not a lot of people are willing to play through an injury where every time you catch the ball, it hurts.

Not a lot of people are willing to completely change their shot either. It takes time and sacrifice. But Kobe, and the other great athletes, are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness.