On August 23rd Kobe Bryant turned 43 and today, we celebrate 8/24. Two of his most memorable NBA numbers.
During his legendary 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant was a five-time NBA champion; an 18-time All-Star; a two-time Olympic gold medalist; and an MVP, among numerous accolades.
Over the course of his NBA career, Bryant showed off his scoring ability, clutch championship performances, and the inspiring mindset exemplified in his “Black Mamba” nickname.
In honor of his born day, I wanted to share some of his most inspiring quotes to motivate the Mamba Mentality in you.
1. “The beauty in being blessed with talent is rising above doubters to create a beautiful moment.”
2. “The most important thing is to try and inspire peopleso that they can be great at whatever they want to do.”
3. “My brain… it cannot process failure. It will not process failure. Because if I sit there and have to face myself and tell myself, ‘You’re a failure’… I think that’s almost worse than death.”
4. “Pain doesn’t tell you when you ought to stop. Pain is the little voice in your head that tries to hold you back because it knows if you continue you will change.”
5. “I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.”
6. “When I was young, my mindset was image, image, image. I took that approach with the media. As I became more experienced I realized: No matter what, people are going to like you or not like you. So be authentic, and let them like you or not for who you actually are. At that point, I started keeping all of my answers blunt and straightforward. I would mix in some humor and sarcasm, too. I think fans and reporters came to appreciate that, came to appreciate the real me.”
The Mamba Mentality : How I Play.
7. “When we are saying this cannot be accomplished, this cannot be done, then we are short-changing ourselves. My brain, it cannot process failure. It will not process failure. Because if I have to sit there and face myself and tell myself ‘you are a failure,’ I think that is almost worse than dying.”
8. “Once you know what failure feels like, determination chases success.”
9. “There’s a choice that we have to make as people, as individuals. If you want to be great at something, there’s a choice you have to make. We all can be masters at our craft, but you have to make a choice. What I mean by that is, there are inherent sacrifices that come along with that. Family time, hanging out with friends, being a great friend, being a great son, nephew, whatever the case may be. There are sacrifices that come along with making that decision.”
10. “The moment you give up, is the moment you let someone else win.”