Bryant left legacy of dedication, perseverance

Home Opinion Homepage - Opinion Bryant left legacy of dedication, perseverance
Bryant left legacy of dedication, perseverance
Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others died in a fatal helicopter crash Sunday morning. | Wikimedia Commons

Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others died in a fatal helicopter crash Sunday morning.

Bryant was 41 years old and retired from the NBA just four years ago. His extraordinary work ethic preceded any conversation of his athleticism. He was likely the hardest-working NBA player to date, and somehow, that seems like an understatement.

Over the years, many stories have surfaced demonstrating Bryant’s work ethic. He frequented the court at the most dreadful hours of the morning. In one instance, while preparing for the Olympics, Bryant called a trainer at 4 a.m. asking for help at the gym. The trainer arrived, worked with Bryant for a few hours, and left to get some sleep while Bryant went to the practice floor to cool down with some shots.

The trainer came back to the facility for the team’s practice at 11 a.m. to see Bryant once again shooting to warm up. In conversation, Bryant revealed he had never stopped shooting after the trainer left, and he went on to finish a full day’s practice with the rest of Team USA.

Bryant left a legacy of relentless and unapologetic commitment to bettering himself and inspiring others to follow his lead.

Since his childhood, Bryant and his family have been strong Catholics. Throughout his life, including after an affair in 2003, he relied on his faith to keep himself on track. 

Bryant’s commitment did not end with his basketball career. After his retirement, Bryant wanted to improve his business skills and reached out to several successful entrepreneurs. Chris Sacca, a young billionaire and proprietor of a venture capital firm, was one of Bryant’s contacts.

Sacca didn’t think Bryant was serious and referred him to a few starter books and podcasts, thinking it would turn Bryant off.

In the following months, Bryant would text Sacca day in and day out, asking questions and soliciting more advice.

“At 3 a.m., he would be on his physical therapy treadmill and call me,” Sacca said. “His obsession with learning this stuff was so 24/7.”

With his money, Bryant and his family’s foundation did a lot for the community. The foundation focuses on helping the youth and homeless in Orange County. It operates a soccer club for homeless youth as well as an organization dedicated to providing permanent housing for the local homeless population.

Since his retirement, Bryant dedicated a lot of his time to his four daughters, especially helping them with their athletic careers.

One viral meme shows a video of Bryant at a basketball game, courtside, with his daughter Gianna. She listened intently as Bryant pointed around the court, offering his sage advice to the young basketball player. Gianna wanted to attend the University of Connecticut for women’s basketball and continue her family’s basketball legacy.

No matter how hard he worked, Bryant encountered many problems in his career. In high school, because of his extraordinary talent, Bryant was most comfortable leading his team. But when he first entered the NBA, he clashed with teammate Shaquille O’Neal, another legendary player, who held a dominant role on the team because of his experience.

Bryant had to adjust his playstyle, and he did so successfully, contributing to three consecutive championships while playing with O’Neal. Bryant learned these lessons — humility, cooperation, and putting the team before oneself — during his time with O’Neal, and they shined throughout the rest of his career both on and off the court.

Bryant was committed to winning and winning only, no matter what he had to do. 

“I’ll do whatever it takes to win games,” Bryant said. “Whether it’s sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.”

More often than not, that meant hitting the game-winning shot. Bryant’s work ethic coupled with his fixation on winning made him a dangerous player.

I’ve spent several nights over the years following a rabbit hole of Kobe Bryant Youtube compilations. They haven’t gotten old yet and they probably never will.

Specifically, Bryant made one fadeaway shot over Lebron James, a world-class defender. James played virtually perfect defense, sticking to Bryant like glue, as he jumps back. James reaches out and almost blocks the ball, but Bryant compensates by firing at an ungodly angle with deadly accuracy. The ball grazes the top of the camera frame, hanging in the air for what seems like minutes, before sinking into the basket — a perfect swoosh.

“How can a human make that shot?” I thought. 

But I knew the answer. It was an easy one for Bryant. He made that shot 500 times this season alone, in the dead of night, on the practice floor.

Sometimes, that’s what it takes to win.

Cal Abbo is a junior studying psychology and a columnist on Democratic politics. He is the features editor for The Collegian.