Steve James - Kobe Bryant: The Mindset of a Champion (Tribute to Kobe Bryant)

KOBE BRYANT

TRIBUTE TO KOBE BRYANT

An Unauthorized Biography

By Steve James

Copyright 2016 by Steve James - All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

Copyright : No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Disclaimer : The following book is for entertainment or informational purposes only. The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author. It is solely the readers responsibility to check all information contained in this book before relying upon it. Neither the author nor publisher can be held accountable for any errors or omissions. The author disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information. References are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement of any websites or other sources. Readers should be aware that the websites listed in this book may change.

This book is not intended as legal or medical advice. If any such specialized advice is needed, seek a qualified individual to help.

The trademarks are used without any consent, and the publication of the trademark is without permission or backing by the trademark owner. All trademarks and brands within this book are for clarifying purposes only with no intent to infringe on the trademark owners.

This book is not sponsored by or affiliated with the National Basketball Association, its teams, the players, or anyone involved with them.

First Printing, 2016 Original title - Kobe Bryant: A League Of His Own, Kobe Bryant .

2nd Revised Edition, 2020

If you dont believe in yourself, no one will do it for you.

Kobe Bryant

INTRODUCTION

W hen the news about the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others, including his daughter, hit the headlines, the earth stopped for a while at least for some people. And it wasnt only the people whod been playing with him for two decades, his family or close friends; his former sports and business frenemies, all the children hed helped, and literally anyone else who knew Kobe Bryant well was distraught by the news.

It wasnt just the media who had been covering every success of his, or the business fraternity with whom hed created an empire stretching beyond the court. Everyone, including those who hadnt really known him, were devastated, and indeed, many are still shattered to date.

But anyone who understood this basketball star beyond what was being covered about him: his mindset, who he really was outside the court, his motivations, how he managed to get his name among the top in the business world, knew that Kobe Bryant was everything but ordinary .

His great skill on the court clearly proved that he had strings of DNA that most people dont possess, but even so, he had a work ethic that most people cannot develop, no matter how hard they try.

But in his own words, Kobe professed (in many instances) his desire to be remembered for something beyond basketball:

Playing basketball, the focus is always on winning winning championships, winning championships, winning championships...

Now, championships come and go. Right? Theres going to be another team that wins an NBA Championship, another player that wins another MVP award. But if you really want to create something that lasts generations, you have to help inspire the next generation...

Its practically impossible to count all the people he inspired, and some of them are leaders, athletes, creatives, young entrepreneurs, and even thousands of talented children from all walks of life; he inspired them all to stretch their physical and mental limits and explore their infinite potentials.

Without a doubt, Kobe Bryant might have spent half his life devoted to the NBA, but he was special in more ways than one, and were about to find out how and why .

From how this man was brought up, how he started playing professionally, how he exercised to soar and worked to maintain his good game, to his personal life, business and philanthropic acts, to the people he has inspired and his philosophy, this book takes you on an insightful journey through the life of this legend.

More precisely, heres a tiny list of the details contained in this book just to give you a glimpse of what youre going to learn:

• How Kobe was brought up
• How his high school years were
• How he started his basketball career as a professional
• How he started playing internationally by setting new standards for the US team to achieve
• How Kobe exercised and the exclusive drills he used to soar and maintain his good game
• Sneaky details about his personal life, his business and philanthropic acts
• Some of the famous people who got inspired by Kobe
• Undiscovered details about his fears and superstitions
• His basketball philosophy that kept him going for years
• Little-known facts about Kobe Bryant that nobody talks about
• The many enviable awards and recognition hes received throughout his life, and much, much more!

So if youre ready to get inspired by the life and deeds of Kobe , the legend, the one:

• Who would wake up at 4:00 a.m. every day (roughly 7 hours before the morning practice), complete tons of sprints, and sink about 500 shots by 6:00 a.m.
• Who spent half of his life in the NBA and devoted his whole life to the sport
• Who followed unrivaled training regimens that included top-class defensive drills and intensive weight training exercises
• Who had a strong mindset; a person whose success mentality was combined with dedicated hard work and sacrifice
• Who performed as well in business and philanthropy as he did in sports, despite facing a significant number of damaging low points
• Whose consistent work ethic always translated to success

Lets get started.

CHAPTER 1

UPBRINGING

K obe was born on August 23, 1978, into a basketball family. He had two older siblings, and he was named after the Japanese Kobe beef. His fathers nickname, jellybean, is the origin for Kobes middle name Bean. His father, Joe Bryant, was a graduate of La Salle University and would go on to play for the Philadelphia 76ers for four seasons alongside Julius Erving, Doug Collins, and George McGinnis. He then played from 1980-1982 for the San Diego Clippers and concluded his NBA career in Houston with the Rockets in 1983.