Kobe Bryant - An Athlete Who Transcended The Sport
Walking in a chilly Los Angeles night, I went to see the Staples Center while on vacation with a few friends.
It wasn’t a normal night in the city. It was a somber one. It was a night to mourn. It was January 26, 2019.
Los Angeles’ superstar athlete, the city’s heartthrob, Kobe Bryant, had died earlier in the day, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gigi Bryant, and seven other passengers in a helicopter crash at Calibases.
Buildings lit up in purple and gold, posters with Kobe and Gigi’s faces bannered across the billboards, and social media continued to update us constantly on more news.
Outside of the Staples Center, a crowd of fans mourned creating a makeshift memorial with lit-up candles, Bryant jerseys, posters, letters, and “Kobe...Kobe...Gigi...Gigi” chants.
The city was a family. Strangers from different backgrounds, races, religions, and ages embraced each other, understanding the pain they were all going through.
The death of Kobe Bryant was more than a mourning for the loss of an NBA athlete.
The Athlete
Bryant, despite the flaws and pitfalls in his long career, was undoubtedly an influential person when it came to playing basketball. For Los Angeles, he was certainly a leader who helped bring the city 5 NBA championships. Just for context, Bryant’s final game in 2016 sold for nearly $20,000.
As a basketball fan myself, Bryant clearly made an impact for kids playing in the courts. One couldn’t take a step-back jump shot without saying, “Kobe!” A clutch shot near the end of the game meant one had manifested the Kobe mentality. His tenure from 2007-2011 was his peak, bringing two NBA championships.
He was an athlete who worshipped the sport and work ethic necessary to win. With stories of him being the first to get to the gym and the last to leave the court, Bryant represented the “ice-in-my-veins” athlete who showed that hard work always pays off.
But it is important to note that Bryant had become more than an athlete. After retiring, Bryant went on to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, for “Dear Basketball,” and worked on books and films for children to help inspire and motivate them.
He coached his daughter, Gigi’s basketball team.
Bryant was representing something more than basketball.
What Does It Mean
When athletes like Bryant transcend their sports, they attain a unique realm of popularity. Their philosophy, work ethic, style, and fashion matter more, rub off, and are remembered by those who aren’t merely sports fans.
Bryant had become an exemplary figure because of both his work and philosophy. His ability to transition into the realm of filmmaking and writing for children seamlessly not only inspired athletes seeking to make such a transition but also for everyday Americans.
We were able to see that each individual isn’t limited to a single career and isn’t bound by social constructs. An NBA Champion can win an Oscar too.
More importantly, Bryant’s philosophy transcended the basketball court. The philosophy? - Mamba Mentality.
“Mamba mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most. It’s the ultimate mantra for the competitive spirit. It started just as a hashtag that came to me one day, and it’s grown into something athletes — and even non-athletes — embrace as a mindset,” Bryant had told the Amazon Book Review.
For fans and those who followed Bryant’s mantra, mamba mentality meant more than winning a basketball game. It meant being able to manage work life and raising children for a mother.
It meant chasing one’s dreams when they looked impossible. It meant fighting for a principle one believed in. It meant remaining focused and unwavering during an exam.
Bryant’s on-the-court stories matched his off-the-court stories when he strove to succeed in family and his new production work life.
In reference to the cloud of information that the modern era faces through the Internet and social media, Bryant told Youtuber Jay Shetty, during an interview in Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, “What I try to do is just try to be still and understand that things come and go, emotions come and go. You have to accept all of the emotions. And then you can choose to do with them, what you want versus being controlled by the emotions.”
I remember seeing children wearing Lakers jerseys outside of the Staples Center shooting basketballs in a small hoop attached to a wall. The crowd cheered for the kids as they ran to shoot a basket. “Kobe Kobe,” they cheered every time a boy went to shoot. “Gigi...Gigi…” every time a young girl did.
During one such occasion, a young girl tried to shoot a basket multiple times, but it wouldn’t go in. She turned around to her mom and said with a frown, “Mom, I can’t do it!”
The crowd yelled back, “Yes you can! Mamba Mentality.”
She smiled. Turned around. Focused. And made the basket.
It was clear - athletes like Bryant can transcend their sport if their influence, life mantra, goal and inspiration seep into the lives of their fans.