This Kobe Bryant Success Story is to honor and better understand the awe inspiring achievements of the late and great Kobe Bryant.
“Dedication Makes Dreams Come True.”
Kobe Bryant, was one the greatest basketball players of all time, as well the one of the biggest competitors. He won five National Basketball Association (NBA) championships, was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP.
In short, he’s achieved just about every achievable accolade when it comes to basketball. Due to such achievements, he is considered a legend to many.
KOBE BRYANT’S STORY OF SUCCESS
Early Life | Kobe Bryant Success Story
Kobe was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and partly raised in Italy. His father was Joe Bryant, a former NBA player. At the early age of 3, he was pushed by his father to pursue basketball.
At the age of 6, his father moved to Italy for a different basketball opportunity so he had to grow up in the new environment. Kobe grew accustomed to the culture as he became quite fluent in the Italian language, while still keeping interest in the sport of basketball.
At the age of 13, his family returned to the United States where he remained interested in the game. As a senior in high school, Kobe achieved many awards for his outstanding performance at Lower Merion. Not only did he lead his team a state championship, he was named the Naismith High School Player of the Year.
In 1996, at the age of 17 Kobe was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, and he became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game (at that time). He was exactly 18 years and 72 days old.
From then on, you could just see the continual and gradual improvement leading to greatness personified, year after year, after year until his retirement. It was apparent that Kobe had an intense focus for the game and an extreme intention to become the best basketball player of all time.
The Makings of a Legend
How did Kobe Bryant become successful? Simply put, his work ethic. Kobe was relentless. He showed up to work every day, and never made any excuses. Without a doubt, it is quite evident that Kobe’s penchant for success was directly correlated with his work ethic. And Kobe’s work ethic was fueled by his passion.
In fact, the stories of Kobe’s work ethic have become a type of folklore. There are countless people who have witnessed what that man’s work ethic really was. Below is an account of just one of the many instances of Kobe’s phenomenal work ethic.
During an interview with Impact Theory during Kobe’s prime years between 2000-2002, former NBA player Jay Williams stated the following:
“The game was at seven… this is the championship Lakers. I’m going to get there at 3:00, and I want to make sure I make 400 made shots before I go back into the room and then I sit in the sauna and get ready for the game. Who do I see? I see Kobe Bryant, already working out,” Williams says.
“Once I set my foot across the line I started working out. I worked out for a good hour, hour-and-a-half. When I came off, after I was done I sat down and of course I still heard the ball bouncing. I looked down I’m like ‘This guy’s still working out?’ It looks like he was in a dead sweat when I got there,” Williams said.
“That game he drops 40 on us. After the game is over I’m like ‘I have to ask this guy, I have to understand why he works like that.’ After the game I’m like ‘Hey Kobe, why where you in the gym for so long?’
Williams stated that “He was like ‘Cause I saw you come in and I wanted you to know that it doesn’t matter how hard you work, that I’m willing to work harder than you’”.[1]
Success Ethos | Relentlessness
Kobe Bryant’s work ethic hands down is what helped him become the legend he is today. But what also must be understood about Kobe Bryant, is that he was relentless. He had a mental toughness and steely focus that was driven by his almost over-the-top competitiveness.
In short, Kobe wanted to be the best, and would do whatever it took to achieve this mental goal. If he had a weakness in one area, he would commit to mastering that weakness. If was a lack of strength in his shot, he would get to work exhausting all options to rectify that lack of strength; researching and then applying the routines that instructed him on how to get stronger.
Similarly, if his weakness was a lack of speed, he would put in the time and effort to overcome the limitation. And there in lies his secret to success. The willingness to learn and then apply what he learned to inch himself closer to his goals.
As such, Kobe Bryant’s success ethos can be summarized as a relentless focus on the end result. The great news is, the ability to be relentless is in all of us.
To get a better glance into the mindset of a winner, watch this Kobe Bryant video. It’s 11 minutes long and full of great insights about the mindset of a true champion:
Video Credit: Motiversity (Subscribe to Their Channel Here)
The Next Chapter
After so much success in the NBA, Kobe would channel his relentless work ethic into his entrepreneurial career. Taking all the success lessons he learned from basketball, he harnessed them into different endeavors which included filmmaking.
In fact, in 2018, he earned an Oscar and took home the trophy for best animated short film for the short called “Dear Basketball.” Narrated by Kobe, “Dear Basketball” is a about a five-and-a-half-minute short illustrating a poem that he wrote for “The Players’ Tribune” to announce his retirement in November 2015.
During his award acceptance speech, Bryant famously stated… “I don’t know if it’s possible. I mean, as basketball players, we’re really supposed to shut up and dribble, but I’m glad we did a little bit more than that.” – Kobe Bryant [2]
Kobe Bryant’s Enduring Impact
Kobe Bryant has inspired so many with his mass appeal of his “Mamba mentality”. As he transitioned into the next stage of his life, he would bring that same attitude and intensity as a supporter for youth and women’s sports.
Not only did he help spread basketball across the globe, but countless NBA players have said Bryant inspired them to play the game.
There are innumerable people who have been affected by Bryant’s greatness.
Related: Kobe Bryant Quotes
Interesting Kobe Bryant Facts
Kobe Bryant was more than just a phenomenal basketball player. He was a well-rounded champion in all areas of life. That said, here a few interesting facts that you probably didn’t know about Kobe, which demonstrates his versatility and exceptionalism as a human:
- Was named the youngest slam dunk champ in 1997.
- Achieve a 3-Peat NBA championship for the L.A. Lakers.
- Bryant once tore his Achilles heel, but made a comeback just 8 months later.
- Kobe used to play and practice through mild colds and flu symptoms, nothing could suppress his determination.
- Kobe Bryant was honored with his own day in Los Angeles. The Day is August 24th.
- Bryant once won an Oscar for participation in the 2017 film ‘Dear Basketball’.
- Kobe Bryant published and co-wrote over 5 different books.
- He founded a sports academy, today known as ‘The Academy’ to cultivate the talent of the youth.
- Bryant founded Granity Studios; an award winning multimedia content company.
- Kobe Bryant’s net worth in 2020 was $600 million (equivalent to $700 million today).
Kobe Bryant’s Net Worth
With Kobe Bryant’s net worth being approximately $700 million by today’s standards when you take inflation into account, he was set to live a very prosperous retirement.
That said, this is how much his vast fortune could have easily earned him every single year for the rest of his life in retirement: $28 million per year.
| Money Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| 2023 Net Worth: | $700,000,000 |
| **Earnings Per Year: | $28,000,000 |
| Per Month: | $2,333,333 |
| Per Week: | $538,465 |
| Per Day: | $76,923 |
| Per Hour: | $3,205 |
| Per Min: | $53.4 |
| Per Sec: | $.89 |
Note: this is an estimated (but very possible) earnings metric based off the earning power of Kobe Bryant’s net worth assuming all of his money was invested in assets yielding a 4% annual return. It does not include how much Kobe’s businesses and royalties could have made him. These calculations are for entertainment purposes only.
Key Takeaways
At first, it might seem weird to relate your day-to-day life with that of a world-class athlete. But what we can take from this Kobe Bryant success story, is that success is a choice, and it is something that we can aim for in our lives.
And if we do it right, we can be apply the main driver of Kobe’s success to any aspect of our lives, and dramatically improve any of these areas in the process.
Here’s a recap to answer the question about how Kobe Bryant became successful:
Work Ethic | Relentlessness | Insatiable Competitiveness
Ultimately, Kobe Bryant ended up finding out that basketball was more than just a sport. It taught him, and all of us, the life lesson of becoming the best version of yourself through hard work and dedication.
Rest in peace, Kobe “Bean” Bryant.
Till next time,
STRIVE
PS – If you enjoyed this Kobe Bryant Success Story then you’ll likely also enjoy our Michael Jordan Success Story or these Michael Jordan Quotes.
