350 Best Inspiring Kobe Bryant Mamba Mentality Quotes (2023)

1. I create my own path. It was straight and narrow. I looked at it this way: you were either in my way or out of it.

2. A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness.

3. “I don’t want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.” —Kobe Bryant

4. “I liked challenging people and making them uncomfortable. That’s what leads to introspection, and that’s what leads to improvement. You could say I dared people to be their best selves.”

5. “Initially, I thought the phrase ‘Mamba Mentality’ was just a catchy hashtag that I’d start on Twitter.”

6. If you do not believe in yourself no one will do it for you.

7. “Something witty and memorable. But it took off from there and came to symbolize much more.”

8. The mindset isn’t about seeking a result, it’s more about the process of getting to that result, It’s about the journey and the approach. -Kobe Bryant

9. “Coaches are teachers. Some coaches—lesser coaches—try telling you things. Good coaches, however, teach you how to think and arm you with the fundamental tools necessary to execute properly.”

10. “Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses. ” – Kobe Bryant

11. “I don’t want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.”

12. “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.” —Kobe Bryant

13. “Good coaches tell you where the fish are, great coaches teach you how to find them.” ― Kobe Bryant

14. “Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No Excuses. ” Kobe Bryant

15. 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. - Kobe Bryant

16. “Si realmente quieres ser bueno en algo, ese algo te tiene que importar de verdad. Si quieres ser grande en un área determinada, tienes que obsesionarte con ella.”

17. “Kobe was once asked, what he would do if his hand fell off and was forced to retire?: “Even then, you could still play with one hand.” — Kobe Bryant

18. I got one more than Shaq. So you can take that to the bank.

19. “Simply put, good coaches make sure you know how to use both hands, how to make proper reads, how to understand the game.” ― Kobe Bryant

20. “The OG greats won’t hang around you if you don’t display the same passion as they do. They won’t share their time and memories with you if you don’t display the same effort and drive for excellence that they did. Even though I was only 17 when I became a Laker, I felt like a member of the family from day one. I think I was accepted so quickly because everyone saw how hard I worked, saw how badly I wanted to fulfill my destiny and return L.A. to its championship ways.”

21. “I found that, yes, this work might be strenuous on the day-to-day, but it left me stronger and more prepared during the dog days of the season and the playoffs.” ― Kobe Bryant

22. “I was curious. I wanted to improve, learn, and fill my head with the history of the game. No matter who I was with—a coach, hall of famer, teammate—and no matter the situation—game, practice, vacation—I would fire away with question after question. A lot of people appreciated my curiosity and passion. They appreciated that I wasn’t just asking to ask, I was genuinely thirsty to hear their answers and glean new info. Some people, meanwhile, were less understanding and gracious. That was fine with me. My approach always was that I’d rather risk embarrassment now than be embarrassed later, when I’ve won zero titles.”

23. “Time is money, I ain’t wasting time. I’m feeling like Kobe. I’m in my prime.” – NBA YoungBoy

24. The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do. — Kobe Bryant

25. These young guys are playing checkers. I'm out there playing chess.

26. The beauty of coaching is growing the players from the ground up. That journey continues.

27. “AITA? I Went On Vacation With My Friend And Her Family, They Kicked Me Out So I Got My Own Room And Stayed On”

28. “There’s a fine balance between obsessing about your craft and being there for your family. It’s akin to walking a tightrope. Your legs are shaky and you’re trying to find your center. Whenever you lean too far in one direction, you correct your course and end up overleaning in the other direction. So, you correct by leaning the other way again. That’s the dance. You can’t achieve greatness by walking a straight line.”

29. “El dolor en un área de tu cuerpo a menudo proviene de un desequilibrio en otra parte.”

30. “Time is money I ain’t wasting time. I’m feelin’ like Kobe I’m in my prime.” – NBA Youngboy Quotes About Loyalty

31. “If you really want to be great at something, you have to truly care about it. If you want to be great in a particular area, you have to obsess over it. A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness. They have other concerns, whether important or not, and they spread themselves out. That’s totally fine. After all, greatness is not for everybody.”

32. “For the most part, before games I just liked being there, hearing the sounds of the environment and observing everything.”

33. “People just don’t understand how obsessed I am with winning.” — Kobe Bryant

34. “One of the qualities that has made Kobe so successful, and always will, is his attention to detail. He always used to tell us: if you want to be a better player, you have to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more.”

35. We can always kind of be average and do what’s normal. I’m not in this to do what’s normal.

36. The key, though, is being aware of how you’re feeling and how you need to be feeling, it all starts with awareness. -Kobe Bryant

37. “I would go 0-for-30 [from the floor] before I would go 0-for-9. [An] 0-for-9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game. … The only reason is because you’ve just now lost confidence in yourself.”

38. “Most players listen to music every game. They have their headphones on religiously and use music to get them in the right state of mind. They’d even sing and dance. I rarely ever did that.”

39. One of the main takeaways was that you have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light. -Kobe Bryant

40. I love that kids are building confidence on and off the court and unlocking their potential through sport.

41. If you see me in a fight with a bear, pray for the bear."

42. I don’t f**k with bees, man. Other than that, I’m not afraid of nothing.

43. “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.”

44. I want to see if I can. I don't know if I can. I want to find out. I want to see. I'm going to do what I always do: I'm going to break it down to its smallest form, smallest detail, and go after it. Day by day, one day at a time.

45. “We psych ourselves up too much. Like if you try to talk yourself into, ‘Oh, this is a big moment, this is a big shot,’ you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself. You shot that shot hundreds and thousands of times. Just shoot another one.”

46. “Better learn not to talk to me. You shake the tree, a leopard’s gonna fall out.” — Kobe Bryant

47. “Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” – Kobe Bryant

48. “Simply put, good coaches make sure you know how to use both hands, how to make proper reads, how to understand the game. Good coaches tell you where the fish are, great coaches teach you how to find them. That’s the same at every level.”

49. You are responsible for how people remember you—or don’t. So don’t take it lightly.

50. I can't relate to lazy people. We don't speak the same language. I don't understand you. I don't want to understand you.

51. If you really want to be great at something you have to truly care about it. -Kobe Bryant

52. Once you know what failure feels like, determination chases success.

53. “Without hoops, I would not understand how to create or write, I would not understand human nature, nor would I know how to lead. The game, in essence, taught me the art of storytelling. Without it, I would not have an Emmy, I would not have an Oscar, I would not have creative dreams and visions still to unfold. Yeah, basketball took me everywhere. Now, I’m taking the game everywhere.”

54. Winning takes precedence overall. There’s no gray area. No almosts.

55. I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I'm like, 'My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don't have it. I just want to chill.' We all have self-doubt. You don't deny it, but you also don't capitulate to it. You embrace it.

56. “The people who truly know me know what I’m like. There have been people who try to say things that aren’t fair, and I check them. And then they don’t like me because I checked them.” — Kobe Bryant

57. “I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I’m like, ‘My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don’t have it. I just want to chill.’ We all have self-doubt. You don’t deny it, but you also don’t capitulate to it. You embrace it.” — Kobe Bryant

58. “These young guys are playing checkers. I’m out there playing chess.” — Kobe Bryant

59. “The topic of leadership is a touchy one. A lot of leaders fail because they don’t have the bravery to touch that nerve or strike that chord. Throughout my years, I haven’t had that fear.” — Kobe Bryant

60. “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.” — Kobe Bryant

61. “I’m chasing perfection.” — Kobe Bryant

62. You can manipulate an opponent’s strength and use it against them. -Kobe Bryant

63. “There’s certain players that I’ve made cry. If I can make you cry by being sarcastic, then I really don’t want to play with you in the playoffs.” — Kobe Bryant

64. When everyone else was thinking it was time for bed, his mind was telling him it’s time to get ahead of the competition. -Kobe Bryant

65. Each moment of my life I was dreaming of how great I could be, and continued working hard. Each time I closed my eyes I could see me shining bright like a sun.

66. “I never felt outside pressure. I knew what I wanted to accomplish, and I knew how much work it took to achieve those goals. I then put in the work and trusted in it. Besides, the expectations I placed on myself were higher than what anyone expected from me.”

67. Use your success, wealth, and influence to put them in the best position to realize their own dreams and find their true purpose.

68. “Kobe was the most passionate man who was led by his heart and his intellect. He was a great thinker with an insatiable hunger for learning: As soon as he stepped into animation, he eagerly began soaking up every aspect of it. Working with him was a dream and one of the high points of my career.”

69. “If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.” — Kobe Bryant

70. “There’s nothing truly to be afraid of, when you think about it, because I’ve failed before, and I woke up the next morning, and I’m OK.”

71. “I’ve shot too much from the time I was 8 years old. But ‘too much’ is a matter of perspective. Some people thought Mozart had too many notes in his compositions. Let me put it this way: I entertain people who say I shoot too much. I find it very interesting. Going back to Mozart, he responded to critics by saying there were neither too many notes or too few. There were as many as necessary.” — Kobe Bryant

72. “Una de las cualidades que ha hecho que Kobe tenga tanto éxito, y que hará que lo siga teniendo en el futuro, es su atención al detalle. Él siempre solía decirnos: si quieres ser un jugador mejor, tienes que prepararte, prepararte y seguir preparándote.”

73. A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness. -Kobe Bryant

74. “Greatness isn’t easy to achieve. It requires a lot of time, a lot of sacrifices. It requires a lot of tough choices. It requires your loved ones to sacrifice, too, so you have to have an understanding circle of family and friends.” ― Kobe Bryant

75. I never tried to prove anything to someone else. I wanted to prove something to myself.

76. Dedication makes dreams come true.

77. It’s my Kobe year.

78. “If you really want to be great at something you have to truly care about it. If you want to be great in a particular area, you have to obsess over it.” – Kobe Bryant, The Mamba Mentality

79. “I built my game to have no holes. It doesn’t matter how well you knew my game. It doesn’t matter if we played against each other for years, or were even teammates for a stretch. None of that helped you guard me.”

80. “For some people, I guess, it might be hard to stay sharp once you’ve reached the pinnacle. Not for me, though. It was never enough. I always wanted to be better, wanted more. I can’t really explain it, other than that I loved the game but had a very short memory. That fueled me until the day I hung up my sneakers.”

81. “I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my game, but I also wasn’t willing to sacrifice my family time. So I sacrificed sleep, and that was that.”

82. “I never thought about my daily preparation. It wasn’t a matter of whether it was an option or not. It was, if I want to play, this is what I have to do, so I’d just show up and do it.”

83. Be sad. Be mad. Be frustrated. Scream. Cry. Sulk. When you wake up you will think it was just a nightmare only to realize it’s all too real. You will be angry and wish for the day back, the game back, that play back. But reality gives nothing back and nor should you.

84. “That’s not to say my emotions didn’t spike or drop here or there, but I was aware enough to recalibrate and bring them back level before things spiraled. I could do that in a way others couldn’t, and that was really key for me.”

85. “To do that, despite the injury, I had to maintain control and dictate where I was going to go with the ball and how I was going to play. I had to, even on one ankle, keep the advantage in my court and never let the defense force me to do something I didn’t want to do. That was the key here, and that’s the key always.”

86. “I’m reflective only in the sense that I learn to move forward. I reflect with a purpose.” — Kobe Bryant

87. “Because I don’t want chumps, I don’t want pushovers, and if you’re a chump and a pushover, I will run over you.” — Kobe Bryant

88. “I would go 0-for-30 [from the field] before I would go 0-for-9. 0-for-9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game. … The only reason is because you’ve just now lost confidence in yourself.”

89. “Learn to love the hate. Embrace it. Enjoy it. You earned it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and everyone should have one about you. Haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones.”

90. “What people see on court is another side of me; it’s not me.” — Kobe Bryant

91. “Some people, after all, enjoy looking at a watch; others are happier figuring out how the watch works.”

92. Everything negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity for me to rise.

93. “Good coaches tell you where the fish are, great coaches teach you how to find them.”

94. “Kobe [Bryant] was a serial winner who could fire up his teammates and steel himself like a warrior monk. But few people have seen another side to Kobe: the man who performed Make-A-Wish requests after almost every home game—and many road games—throughout his career. I got to document a few of those nights when Kobe was there for kids and their families as a different kind of hero—one who understood the profound impact of basketball beyond simply winning and losing. Behind Kobe’s relentless determination was a gentle and sober compassion.”

95. “I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I’m like, ‘My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don’t have it. I just want to chill.’ We all have self-doubt. You don’t deny it, but you also don’t capitulate to it. You embrace it.” – Kobe Bryant

96. “Over the years, my routine might have changed some but my philosophy never did. If something has worked for other greats before you, and if something is working for you, why change it up and embrace some new fad? Stick with what works, even if it’s unpopular.”

97. Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise. — Kobe Bryant

98. “Learn to love the hate. Embrace it. Enjoy it. You earned it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and everyone should have one about you.”

99. There’s no need to get too crazy or bent out of shape. There are still challenges every day. But I’m still having fun. I was born to play this game. I still love it.

100. “A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness.”

101. “I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you.” — Kobe Bryant

102. “If you’re afraid to fail then you’re probably going to fail.”Kobe Bryant

103. “I remember feeling the silence. I remember feeling the fear. I’m like, ‘This could be a wrap.’ And that’s what the silence was. It was like, ‘This could really be a wrap for you.” — Kobe Bryant

104. “The message was that if you want to win championships, you have to let people focus on what they do best while you focus on what you do best. For him, that was rebounding, running the floor, and blocking shots.”

105. “I’m trying to feel the energy of the environment and allow it to move through me. That then propels me and fuels me to have a great performance.”

106. “If you do not believe in yourself, no one will do it for you.”

107. “If you want to be a better player, you have to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more.” ― Kobe Bryant

108. “If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.”

109. “Follow your dreams, they know the way.” ~ Kobe Yamada

110. After all, greatness is not for everybody.

111. “What I mean by that is: if I wanted to implement something new into my game, I’d see it and try incorporating it immediately. I wasn’t scared of missing, looking bad, or being embarrassed. That’s because I always kept the end result, the long game, in my mind. I always focused on the fact that I had to try something to get it, and once I got it, I’d have another tool in my arsenal. If the price was a lot of work and a few missed shots, I was OK with that.”

112. Bryant’s long-time coach, Phil Jackson’s journey as a coach, including advice for future leaders and background on Kobe’s development as a leader of the Lakers.

113. “All the training and sacrifice just flew out the window with one step that I’ve done millions of times! The frustration is unbearable. The anger is rage. Why the hell did this happen?!?Makes no damn sense. Now I’m supposed to come back from this and be the same player or better at 35?!? How in the world am I supposed to do that?? I have NO CLUE. Do I have the consistent will to overcome this thing? Maybe I should break out the rocking chair and reminisce on the career that was. Maybe this is how my book ends. Maybe Father Time has defeated me… Then again maybe not!” — Kobe Bryant

114. “You can’t achieve greatness by walking a straight line.”

115. There’s been a lot of talk of me being a one-man show but that’s simply not the case. We win games when I score 40 points and we’ve won when I score 10.

116. “To be an event, every single night. Something witnessed. Not just watched. I had a different drive. The kind that made people uneasy. Some people wanted me to come back down to earth. To come down to their level. To relax. But I couldn’t. It wasn’t in my DNA. Because to go where others have never gone, you have to do what others have never done.”

117. “Time is money I ain’t wasting time. I’m feelin like Kobe I’m in my prime.” – NBA YoungBoy, “Hell and Back”

118. “Losers visualize the penalties of failure. Winners visualize the rewards of success.”

119. “As a kid, I would work tirelessly on adding elements to my game. I would see something I liked in person or on film, go practice it immediately, practice it more the next day, and then go out and use it. By the time I reached the league, I had a short learning curve. I could see something, download it, and have it down pat.” ― Kobe Bryant

120. “The mindset isn’t about seeking a result—it’s more about the process of getting to that result. It’s about the journey and the approach. It’s a way of life. I do think that it’s important, in all endeavors, to have that mentality.”

121. I never looked at [basketball] as work. I didn't realize it was work until my first year in the NBA. When I came around, I was surrounded by other professionals and I thought basketball was going to be everything to them, and it wasn't. And I was like, 'This is different.' I thought everybody was so obsessive about the game like me. It was like, 'No? Oh, that's hard work.' I get it now.

122. “The game is full of ebbs and flows—the good, the bad, and everything in between. With all that was going on around me, I had to figure out how to steel my mind and keep calm and centered. That’s not to say my emotions didn’t spike or drop here or there, but I was aware enough to recalibrate and bring them back level before things spiraled. I could do that in a way others couldn’t, and that was really key for me.”

123. The message was that if you want to win championships, you have to let people focus on what they do best while you focus on what you do best. For me, that was rebounding, running the floor, and blocking shots.

124. “The important thing is that your teammates have to know you’re pulling for them and you really want them to be successful.” ― Kobe Bryant

125. The last time I was intimidated was when I was six years old in karate class. I was an orange belt and the instructor ordered me to fight a black belt who was a couple years older and a lot bigger. I was scared s**tless. I mean, I was terrified and he kicked my a**. But then I realized he didn't kick my a** as bad as I thought he was going to and that there was nothing really to be afraid of.

126. “You have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light. Meaning: It takes a lot of work to be successful, and people will celebrate that success, will celebrate that flash and hype. Behind that hype, though, is dedication, focus, and seriousness—all of which outsiders will never see. If you stop being dedicated to the craft, the commercials and contracts will all fade away.”

127. “I don’t give a [expletive] what you say. If I go out there and miss game winners, and people say, ‘Kobe choked, or Kobe is seven for whatever in pressure situations.’ Well, [expletive] you.” — Kobe Bryant

128. “If you really want to be great at something you have to truly care about it. If you want to be great in a particular area, you have to obsess over it.”

129. “People who are sort of average, without much talent or very notable qualities, often make the best friends.” –John Green 2. “The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – it’s all that matters.” -Anonymous 3. “I think if you surround yourself with good people and do the right things, good things will happen.” -Kobe Bryant 4. “You can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” -Ronald Reagan 5. “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it. It won’t get done because they’re too busy, but it will get done because someone put in the effort.”-Tony Robbins

130. “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.” — Kobe Bryant

131. “made every second of the national anthem count.”

132. “errant”

133. “I’ve done that since I was a kid sort of naturally. I never put too much thought into it. When Phil Jackson came, though, I started to understand the importance of my personalized meditative process. From then on, I placed an increased emphasis on it.”

134. “It’s an intentional pass to oneself, so it’s an assist. That way people can’t say all I do is shoot.” — Kobe Bryant

135. “Understanding the importance of contact and physicality is only half the battle. You have to love it, and I did. You have to love having your jersey held and holding their jersey back. You have to love getting hit once so you could hit them back twice. You had to love every last push, shove, and elbow. Understand and embrace that mentality. Once you do, you are ready to win.”

136. “Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” ~ Kobe Bryant

137. Losing is losing. There aren’t different degrees of losing. You either win a championship or you’re s**t. It’s very black and white to me.

138. If I wanted to play, I’d still be playing for the Lakers.

139. Friends can come and go, but banners hang forever.

140. “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.” — Kobe Bryant

141. When you make a choice and say, 'Come hell or high water, I am going to be this,' then you should not be surprised when you are that. It should not be something that is intoxicating or out of character because you have seen this moment for so long that when that moment comes, of course, it is here because it has been here the whole time because it has been [in your mind] the whole time.

142. “If you don’t believe in yourself. no one will do it for you” – Kobe Bryant

143. “Friends come and go but banners hang forever.” – Kobe Bryant

144. “I’m extremely willful to win, and I respond to challenges. Scoring titles and stuff like that… it sounds, well, I don’t care how it sounds – to me, scoring comes easy. It’s not a challenge to me to win the scoring title, because I know I can.” — Kobe Bryant

145. “If you do not believe in yourself, no one will do it for you” — Kobe Bryant

146. A lot of people say they want to be great, but they're not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness. They have other concerns, whether important or not, and they spread themselves out. That's totally fine. After all, greatness is not for everybody.

147. “I focus on one thing and one thing only – that’s trying to win as many championships as I can.” — Kobe Bryant

148. “I liked challenging people and making them uncomfortable. That’s what leads to introspection and that’s what leads to improvement. You could say I dared people to be their best selves.”

149. People say bad things about you in the paper on Monday, and then on Wednesday, you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. I've seen that cycle, so why would I be nervous about it happening?

150. “Everything negative — pressure, challenges — are all an opportunity for me to rise.” – Kobe Bryant

151. “I liked challenging people and making them uncomfortable. That’s what leads to introspection, and that’s what leads to improvement. You could say I dared people to be their best selves.” ― Kobe Bryant

152. “If something has worked for other greats before you, and if something is working for you, why change it up and embrace some new fad? Stick with what works, even if it’s unpopular.” ― Kobe Bryant

153. “Friends can come and go, but banners hang forever.” — Kobe Bryant

154. “I was willing to do way more than anyone else. That was the fun part for me.”

155. “I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you.”

156. “I would go 0-for-30 [from the floor] before I would go 0-for-9. [An] 0-for-9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game. The only reason is that you’ve just now lost confidence in yourself.”

157. “Are you willing to push the right buttons even if it means being perceived as the villain? … I’d rather be perceived as a winner than a good teammate. I wish they both went hand in hand all the time but that’s just not reality… I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success.” — Kobe Bryant

158. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.

159. “The last time I was intimidated was when I was 6 years old in karate class. I was an orange belt and the instructor ordered me to fight a black belt who was a couple of years older and a lot bigger. I was scared s — less. I mean, I was terrified and he kicked my ass. But then I realized he didn’t kick my ass as bad as I thought he was going to and that there was nothing really to be afraid of. That was around the time I realized that intimidation didn’t really exist if you’re in the right frame of mind.”

160. “If you don’t believe in yourself. no one will do it for you.” – Kobe Bryant

161. There's a big misconception where people thinking winning or success comes from everybody putting their arms around each other and singing kumbaya and patting them on the back when they mess up, and that's just not reality. If you are going to be a leader, you are not going to please everybody. You have to hold people accountable. Even if you have that moment of being uncomfortable.

162. “One of the main takeaways was that you have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light. Meaning:”

163. Take it all in. Sit back and watch and listen and hear all the hate that’s being thrown at us and remember every person that’s kicking you when you’re down, because next year it ain’t gonna be this way. Appreciate it now. Let it sit in now, because revenge is sweet and it’s quick.

164. “If you have to get up every single morning and remind yourself how hard you need to work, you probably need to choose a different profession…That shouldn’t be there. I wake up in the morning excited to get to it. If I’m not training I’m missing it. If I’m not watching the game of basketball I miss it. There’s no place I’d rather be…If you have that feeling then you’re truly doing what God has put you on this earth to do.”

165. Greatness isn’t easy to achieve. It requires a lot of time, a lot of sacrifices. It requires a lot of tough choices. -Kobe Bryant

166. “You have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light”

167. The most important thing is you must put everybody on notice that you’re here and you are for real.

168. Everything negative—pressure, challenges—is all an opportunity for me to rise.

169. I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.

170. The important thing is that your teammates have to know you're pulling for them and you really want them to be successful.

171. The beauty in being blessed with talent is rising above doubters to create a beautiful moment.

172. “From the beginning, I wanted to be the best. I had a constant craving, a yearning, to improve and be the best. I never needed any external forces to motivate me.” – Kobe Bryant, The Mamba Mentality

173. “You can wear my shoes, but you’ll never fill them.”

174. “Follow your dreams, they know the way.” — Kobe Yamada

175. “After winning his fifth championship in June of 2010: “I just got one more than Shaq. So you can take that to the bank.” — Kobe Bryant

176. If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.

177. “If I was tired, I would doze off. I always found that short 15-minute catnaps gave me all the energy I’d need for peak performance.”

178. I want to learn how to become the best basketball player in the world. And if I'm going to learn that, I gotta learn from the best. Kids go to school to be doctors or lawyers, so forth and so on and that's where they study. My place to study is from the best.

179. “If you really want to be great at something, you have to truly care about it. If you want to be great in a particular area, you have to obsess over it.” ― Kobe Bryant

180. I’m reflective only in the sense that I learn to move forward. I reflect with a purpose.

181. “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.”

182. “I wanted to improve, learn, and fill my head with the history of the game.”

183. “I never felt outside pressure. I knew what I wanted to accomplish, and I knew how much work it took to achieve those goals. I then put in the work and trusted in it. Besides, the expectations I placed on myself were higher than what anyone expected from me.” ― Kobe Bryant

184. “If you want to be a better player, you have to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more.”

185. “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. Don’t let it stop you from being who you can be. Exhaustion tells you when you ought to stop. You only reach your limit when you can go no further.”

186. “The key, though, is being aware of how you’re feeling and how you need to be feeling.”

187. I had a constant craving, a yearning, to improve and be the best. -Kobe Bryant

188. 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.

189. Friends come and go but banners hang forever. - Author: Kobe Bryant

190. “Every team needs either a confrontational star player or coach. In San Antonio, Gregg Popovich was that guy and Tim Duncan was not. In Golden State, Draymond Green is the confrontational one; Steve Kerr is not. For us, Phil was not that type of person, so I provided that force. You always have to have that balance and counterbalance, and Phil and I were perfectly suited for each other in that way.”

191. "You’re my backbone. You’re a blessing. You’re a piece of my heart. You’re the air I breathe. And you’re the strongest person I know, and I’m so sorry for having to put you through this and having to put our family through this.” – Kobe Bryant

192. You guys know how I am. I don’t forget anything.

193. “I create my own path. It was straight and narrow. I looked at it this way: you were either in my way, or out of it. If you were standing between me and the game, I was going to knock you on your back and not feel bad about it. I was unapologetically me. That’s all I ever wanted to be. I was never worried about my reputation — that’s how I earned one. That’s how I became the Black Mamba.”

194. If you want to be a better player, you have to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more. -Kobe Bryant

195. “I still challenged everyone and made them uncomfortable, I just did it in a way that was tailored to them. To learn what would work and for who, I started doing homework and watched how they behaved. I learned their histories and listened to what their goals were. I learned what made them feel secure and where their greatest doubts lay. Once I understood them, I could help bring the best out of them by touching the right nerve at the right time.”

196. “From the beginning, I wanted to be the best. I had a constant craving, a yearning, to improve and be the best. I never needed any external forces to motivate me.”

197. “I’ve played with IVs before, during and after games. I’ve played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball. I don’t miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn’t that serious in the first place.” — Kobe Bryant

198. “From a young age—a very young age—I devoured film and watched everything I could get my hands on. It was always fun to me.”

199. “From the beginning, I wanted to be the best. I had a constant craving, a yearning, to improve and be the best. I never needed any external forces to motivate me.” ― Kobe Bryant

200. A lot of leaders fail because they don’t have the bravery to touch that nerve or strike that chord.

201. The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great at whatever they want to do.

202. When you make a choice and say, 'Come hell or high water, I am going to be this,' then you should not be surprised when you are that. It should not be something that is intoxicating or out of character because you have seen this moment for so long that when that moment comes, of course it is here because it has been here the whole time, because it has been [in your mind] the whole time.

203. “I wasn’t scared of missing, looking bad, or being embarrassed. That’s because I always kept the end result, the long game, in my mind. I always focused on the fact that I had to try something to get it, and once I got it, I’d have another tool in my arsenal. If the price was a lot of work and a few missed shots, I was OK with that.”

204. 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.

205. “Coaches are teachers. Some coaches—lesser coaches—try telling you things. Good coaches, however, teach you how to think and arm you with the fundamental tools necessary to execute properly. Simply put, good coaches make sure you know how to use both hands, how to make proper reads, how to understand the game. Good coaches tell you where the fish are, great coaches teach you how to find them. That’s the same at every level.”

206. “My parents are my backbone. Still are. They’re the only group that will support you if you score zero or you score 40.” — Kobe Bryant

207. I had to organize things. So I created the ‘Black Mamba.’ So Kobe has to deal with these issues, all the personal challenges. The Black Mamba steps on the court and does what he does. I’m destroying everybody that steps on the court.

208. Have a good time. Life is too short to get bogged down and be discouraged. You have to keep moving. You have to keep going. Put one foot in front of the other, smile and just keep on rolling.

209. “I always focused on the fact that I had to try something to get it, and once I got it, I’d have another tool in my arsenal. If the price was a lot of work and a few missed shots, I was OK with that.” ― Kobe Bryant

210. “Over the course of 20 seasons, I suffered my fair share of serious injuries. The first thing I always thought about in those situations was, ‘What do I need to do to get back to 100 percent?’ That was my mindset. I never let fear or doubt seep into my psyche. I never whined and I never complained. I mean, for what?”

211. “Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” — Kobe Bryant

212. “I made every second of the national anthem count.”

213. I don't want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.

214. “I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I’m like, ‘My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don’t have it. I just want to chill.’ We all have self-doubt. You don’t deny it, but you also don’t capitulate to it. You embrace it.”

215. “People don’t always understand just how much effort, from how many people, goes into one person chasing a dream to be great.”

216. “What separates great players from all-time great players is their ability to self-assess, diagnose weaknesses, and turn those flaws into strengths.”

217. “The Black Mamba collection of watches is me: It is my alter ego, so to speak. As I mentioned before, it is sharp, cutting edge and sleek which are characteristics I try to apply when I’m out there on the basketball court.” — Kobe Bryant

218. “I’ve played with IVs before, during and after games. I’ve played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball. I don’t miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn’t that serious in the first place.”

219. The moment you give up is the moment you let someone else win.

220. “One of the main takeaways was that you have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light. Meaning: It takes a lot of work to be successful, and people will celebrate that success, will celebrate that flash.”

221. “The game is full of ebbs and flows—the good, the bad, and everything in between. With all that was going on around me, I had to figure out how to steel my mind and keep calm and centered.”

222. “Film study eventually became imagining alternatives, counters, options, in addition to the finite details of why some actions work and others don’t.”

223. “If you want to be great in a particular area, you have to obsess over it. A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness. They have other concerns, whether important or not, and they spread themselves out. That’s totally fine. After all, greatness is not for everybody.”

224. “I made a point to adjust the pace of my attack to throw defenders off. In essence, the more you thought you knew about my game, the harder it would actually be to guard me.”

225. “Hi, I’m Kobe Bryant. And I have decided to take my talent to, uh… I have decided to skip college and take my talent to the NBA.” — Kobe Bryant

226. “If you want to be a better player, you have to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more.” – Kobe Bryant, The Mamba Mentality

227. “I’ve shot too much from the time I was 8 years old. But ‘too much’ is a matter of perspective. Some people thought Mozart had too many notes in his compositions. Let me put it this way: I entertain people who say I shoot too much. I find it very interesting. Going back to Mozart, he responded to critics by saying there were neither too many notes or too few. There were as many as necessary.”

228. The moment you give up, is the moment you let someone else win.

229. “People don’t always understand just how much effort, from how many people, goes into one person chasing a dream to be great.” ― Kobe Bryant

230. “Estaban obsesionados con sus respectivos oficios, y eso hacía más fácil que yo confiara en ellos.”

231. “The agony of defeat is as low as the joy of winning is high. However, they’re the exact same to me. I’m at the gym at the same time after losing 50 games as I am after winning a championship. It doesn’t change for me.”

232. “For some people, I guess, it might be hard to stay sharp once you’ve reached the pinnacle. Not for me, though. It was never enough. I always wanted to be better, wanted more. I can’t really explain it, other than that I loved the game but had a very short memory. That fueled me until I hung up my sneakers.”

233. “A big shot is just another shot. People make a big deal of clutch shots. Thing is, it’s just one shot. If you make a thousand shots a day, it’s just one of a thousand. Once you’re hitting that many, what’s one more? That was my mentality from day one.”

234. “I don’t want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.” — Kobe Bryant

235. “When everyone else was thinking it was time for bed, his mind was telling him it’s time to get ahead of the competition.”

236. “Kobe knew that to be the best you need a different approach from everyone else.”

237. Haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones.

238. The key, though, is being aware of how you’re feeling and how you need to be feeling, it all starts with awareness -Kobe Bryant

239. “After all, greatness is not for everybody”

240. When I have the chance to guard Michael Jordan, I want to guard him. I want him. It’s the ultimate challenge.

241. “The agony of defeat is as low as the joy of winning is high. However, they’re the exact same to me.”

242. “As I sit here now, when I take off my shoe and I look down at my scar, I see beauty in it. I see all the hard work, all the sacrifices. I see the journey that it took to get back to this point of being healthy. And I see beauty in that struggle. That’s what makes it beautiful.” — Kobe Bryant

243. “At the end of my first season in the NBA, we had made it to the semifinals, up against Utah. But in the deciding fifth game, I let fly four airballs, and we lost our chance at the title. Those shots let me know what I needed to work on the most: my strength. That’s all the airballs did for me… I just wasn’t strong enough to get the ball there. My legs were spaghetti; they couldn’t handle that long of a season. How did I respond to that? By getting on an intense weight-training program.”

244. “One of the main takeaways was that you have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light. Meaning: It takes a lot of work to be successful, and people will celebrate that success, will celebrate that flash.” ― Kobe Bryant

245. I realized that intimidation didn't really exist if you're in the right frame of mind.

246. It requires a lot of time, a lot of sacrifices. It requires a lot of tough choices. -Kobe Bryant

247. I see the beauty in getting up in the morning and being in pain because I know all the hard work that it took to get to this point. So, I'm not, I'm not sad about [retiring]. I'm very appreciative of what I've had.

248. “Good coaches, however, teach you how to think and arm you with the fundamental tools necessary to execute properly.”

249. I don’t want chumps, I don’t want pushovers, and if you’re a chump and a pushover, I will run over you.

250. Trust me, setting things up right from the beginning will avoid a ton of tears and heartache.

251. “For some people, I guess, it might be hard to stay sharp once you’ve reached the pinnacle. Not for me, though. It was never enough. I always wanted to be better, wanted more. I can’t really explain it, other than that I loved the game but had a very short memory. That fueled me until the day I hung up my sneakers.” ― Kobe Bryant

252. “One thing you gotta know about me is I have absolutely no filter. I have no problem saying what the hell I think of someone.” — Kobe Bryant

253. “The last time I was intimidated was when I was 6 years old in karate class. I was an orange belt and the instructor ordered me to fight a black belt who was a couple years older and a lot bigger. I was scared s—less. I mean, I was terrified and he kicked my ass. But then I realized he didn’t kick my ass as bad as I thought he was going to and that there was nothing really to be afraid of. That was around the time I realized that intimidation didn’t really exist if you’re in the right frame of mind.” — Kobe Bryant

254. “Initially I thought the phrase ‘Mamba Mentality’ was just a catchy hashtag that I’d start on Twitter. Something witty and memorable. But it took off from there and came to symbolize much more. The mindset isn’t about seeking a result—it’s more about the process of getting to that result. It’s about the journey and the approach. It’s a way of life.”

255. “Boos don’t block dunks.” — Kobe Bryant

256. “If something has worked for other greats before you, and if something is working for you, why change it up and embrace some new fad? Stick with what works, even if it’s unpopular.”

257. “If you really want to be great at something, you have to truly care about it. If you want to be great in a particular area, you have to obsess over it.”

258. 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.

259. “A lot of people appreciated my curiosity and passion. They appreciated that I wasn’t just asking to ask, I was genuinely thirsty to hear their answers and glean new info… My approach always was that I’d rather risk embarrassment now than be embarrassed later, when I’ve won zero titles.”

260. “you can manipulate an opponent’s strength and use it against them.”

261. “I found that, yes, this work might be strenuous on the day-to-day, but it left me stronger and more prepared during the dog days of the season and the playoffs.”

262. “Winning takes precedence over all. There’s no gray area. No almosts.” — Kobe Bryant

263. “Respect to those who do achieve greatness, and respect to those who are chasing that elusive feeling.”

264. “Greatness isn’t easy to achieve. It requires a lot of time, a lot of sacrifices. It requires a lot of tough choices. It requires your loved ones to sacrifice, too, so you have to have an understanding circle of family and friends. People don’t always understand just how much effort from how many people goes into one person chasing a dream to be great.”

265. “A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness. They have other concerns, whether important or not, and they spread themselves out.” ― Kobe Bryant

266. “My approach always was that I’d rather risk embarrassment now than be embarrassed later when I’ve won zero titles.”

267. “I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my game, but I also wasn’t willing to sacrifice my family time. So I decided to sacrifice sleep, and that was that.”

268. “If I needed to get keyed up, for example, I listened to hard music. If I needed to soothe myself, I might play the same soundtrack I listened to on the bus in high school to put me back in that place.”

269. “I have self doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I'm like. My back hurts. my feet hurt. my knees hurt. I don't have it. I just want to chill.' We all have self doubt. You don't deny it. but you also don't capitulate to it. You embrace it.” - Kobe Bryant

270. “Have a good time. Enjoy life. Life is too short to get bogged down and be discouraged. You have to keep moving. You have to keep going. Put one foot in front of the other, smile and just keep on rolling.”

271. There’s certain players that I’ve made cry. If I can make you cry by being sarcastic, then I really don’t want to play with you in the playoffs.

272. “I don’t f— with bees, man. Other than that, I’m not afraid of nothing.” — Kobe Bryant

273. “Have a good time. Life is too short to get bogged down and be discouraged. You have to keep moving. You have to keep going. Put one foot in front of the other, smile, and just keep on rolling.” – Kobe Bryant

274. “That was the trademark of the final ten years of his career,” Jackson says. “Kobe led by example for his teammates. They couldn’t keep up—but they were always challenged by the example he set.”

275. I’ve shot too much from the time I was eight years old. But ‘too much’ is a matter of perspective. Some people thought Mozart had too many notes in his compositions. Let me put it this way: I entertain people who say I shoot too much. I find it very interesting. Going back to Mozart, he responded to critics by saying there were neither too many notes or too few. There were as many as necessary.

276. “Winning takes precedence over all. There’s no gray area. No almosts.”

277. “Use your success, wealth and influence to put them in the best position to realize their own dreams and find their true purpose. Put them through school, set them up with job interviews and help them become leaders in their own right. Hold them to the same level of hard work and dedication that it took for you to get to where you are now, and where you will eventually go.”

278. My parents are my backbone. Still are. They're the only group that will support you if you score zero or you score 40.

279. There's nothing truly to be afraid of, when you think about it, because I've failed before, and I woke up the next morning, and I'm OK.

280. You're my backbone. You're a blessing. You're a piece of my heart. You're the air I breathe. And you're the strongest person I know, and I'm so sorry for having to put you through this and having to put our family through this. – Kobe Bryant

281. We psych ourselves up too much. Like if you try to talk yourself into, ‘Oh, this is a big moment, this is a big shot,’ you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself. You shot that shot hundreds and thousands of times. Just shoot another one.

282. “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."

283. “Follow your dreams, they know the way.” – Kobe Yamada

284. “Yes, you might have known I preferred to go one way. That didn’t ultimately matter, because I could just as easily go the other way. Yeah, you might have also thought you knew my cadence and rhythm, except—I didn’t have one.”

285. “The mindset isn’t about seeking a result–it’s more about the process of getting to that result. It’s about the journey and the approach. It’s a way of life. I do think that it’s important, in all endeavors, to have that mentality.”

286. The expectations I placed on myself were higher than what anyone expected from me. -Kobe Bryant

287. When we are saying this cannot be accomplished, this cannot be done, then we are short-changing ourselves.

288. “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.”

289. “Each referee has a designated slot where he is supposed to be on the floor… When they do that, it creates dead zones, areas on the floor where they can’t see certain things. I learned where those zones were, and I took advantage of them. I would get away with holds, travels, and all sorts of minor violations simply because I took the time to understand the officials’ limitations.”

290. “Take it all in. Sit back and watch and listen and hear all the hate that’s being thrown at us and remember every person that’s kicking you when you’re down, because next year it ain’t gonna be this way. Appreciate it now. Let it sit in now, because revenge is sweet and it’s quick.” — Kobe Bryant

291. “It’s the one thing you can control. You are responsible for how people remember you — or don’t. So don’t take it lightly. If you do it right, your game will live on in others. You’ll be imitated and emulated by those you played with, those you played against and those who never saw you play at all. So leave everything on the court. Leave the game better than you found it. And when it comes time for you to leave, leave a legend.”

292. “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.”

293. Some coaches—lesser coaches—try telling you things. Good coaches, however, teach you how to think and arm you with the fundamental tools necessary to execute properly.” ― Kobe Bryant

294. Boos don’t block dunks.

295. “Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No Excuses.” Kobe Bryant

296. “A lot of people appreciated my curiosity and passion. They appreciated that I wasn’t just asking to ask, I was genuinely thirsty to hear their answers and glean new info. Some people, meanwhile, were less understanding and gracious. That was fine with me.”

297. “The only way I was able to pick up details on the court, to be aware of the minutiae on the hardwood, was by training my mind to do that off the court and focusing on every detail in my daily life. By reading, by paying attention in class and in practice, by working, I strengthened my focus. By doing all of that, I strengthened my ability to be present and not have a wandering mind.”

298. “The most important thing is you must put everybody on notice that you’re here and you are for real. I’m not a player that is just going to come and go. I’m not a player that is going to make an All-Star team one time, two times. I’m here to be an all-time great. Once I made that commitment and said, ‘I want to be one of the greatest ever’, then the game became everything for me.” — Kobe Bryant

299. When everyone else was thinking it was time for bed, his mind was telling him it’s time to get ahead of the competition -Kobe Bryant

300. Leadership is lonely. I'm not going to be afraid of confrontation to get us to where we need to go.

301. 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.

302. “The only aspect that can’t change, though, is that obsession.”

303. “Masterful practice leads to success. If you constantly repeat and strengthen your mistakes in swimming, how can you expect better results?”― Piotr J. Kober

304. I’m extremely willful to win, and I respond to challenges. It’s not a challenge to me to win the scoring title, because I know I can.

305. “Most players listen to music every game. They have their headphones on religiously and use music to get them in the right state of mind. They’d even sing and dance. I rarely ever did that. Sometimes, even when I had headphones on, there wasn’t any music playing. It was a feint to keep people away, and to get in my zone. For the most part, before games I just liked being there, hearing the sounds of the environment and observing everything.”

306. “Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.” — Kobe Bryant

307. “Every team needs either a confrontational star player or coach. In San Antonio, Gregg Popovich was that guy and Tim Duncan was not. In Golden State, Draymond Green is the confrontational one; Steve Kerr is not. For us, Phil was not that type of person, so I provided that force. You always have to have that balance and counterbalance, and Phil and I were perfectly suited for each other in that way.” ― Kobe Bryant

308. “A lot of players don’t understand the game or the importance of footwork, spacing. It’s to the point where if you know the basics, you have an advantage on the majority of players.”

309. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. No matter what the injury – unless it’s completely debilitating – I’m going to be the same player I’ve always been. I’ll figure it out. I’ll make some tweaks, some changes, but I’m still coming.” — Kobe Bryant

310. “As a kid, I would work tirelessly on adding elements to my game. I would see something I liked in person or on film, go practice it immediately, practice it more the next day, and then go out and use it. By the time I reached the league, I had a short learning curve. I could see something, download it, and have it down pat.”

311. “To sum up what mamba mentality is, it means to be able to constantly try to be the best version of yourself.”

312. “When I have the chance to guard Michael Jordan, I want to guard him. I want him. It’s the ultimate challenge.” — Kobe Bryant

313. “When everyone else was thinking it was time for bed, his mind was telling him it’s time to get ahead of the competition.” ― Kobe Bryant

314. “The key, though, is being aware of how you’re feeling and how you need to be feeling. It all starts with awareness.”

315. “My routine was grueling. It involved early mornings and late nights. It involved stretching, lifting, training, hooping, recovery, and film study. It involved putting in a lot of work and hours. It’s—no lie—tiring. For that reason, a lot of players pare down their lifting and training during the season. They try conserving their energy. Not me, though. I found that, yes, this work might be strenuous on the day-to-day, but it left me stronger and more prepared during the dog days of the season and the playoffs.”

316. “The only way I was able to pick up details on the court, to be aware of the minutiae on the hardwood, was by training my mind to do that off the court and focusing on every detail in my daily life. By reading, by paying attention in class and in practice, by working, I strengthened my focus. By doing all of that, I strengthened my ability to be present and not have a wandering mind.” ― Kobe Bryant

317. Despite the fear, finish the job.

318. “A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness. They have other concerns, whether important or not, and they spread themselves out. That’s totally fine. After all, greatness is not for everybody.”

319. It’s hard for me to grasp the concept of somebody being nervous when I’m talking to them.

320. May you always remember to enjoy the road, especially when it’s a hard one.

321. From the beginning, I wanted to be the best. I had a constant craving, a yearning, to improve and be the best.

322. “AITA? I Went On Vacation With My Friend And Her Family, They Kicked Me Out So I Got My Own Room And Stayed On”Clueless Director Calls For A Meeting Over Mass Resignation After Company Cancels WFH, Employee Explains It In A Way He Would Understand

323. “I’ve always been impressed by Kobe’s resilience and ironclad self-confidence. Unlike Shaq, who was often plagued by self-doubt, Kobe never let such thoughts cross his mind. If someone set the bar at ten feet, he’d jump eleven, even if no one had ever done it before. That’s the attitude he brought with him when he arrived at training camp that fall, and it had a powerful impact on his teammates.”

324. “The only way I was able to pick up details on the court, to be aware of the minutiae on the hardwood, was by training my mind to do that off the court and focusing on every detail in my daily life. By reading, by paying attention in class, in practice, and working, I strengthened my focus. By doing all of that, I strengthened my ability to be present and not have a wandering mind.”

325. You can't stop people from trying to limit your dreams, but you can stop it from becoming a reality. Your dreams are up to you. I encourage you to always be curious, always seek out things you love and always work hard once you find it.

326. What’s the difference between time and Kobe? Time passes.

327. “You can’t achieve greatness by walking a straight line.” ― Kobe Bryant

328. If you want to be a better player, you have to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more -Kobe Bryant

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

330. “A lot of people appreciated my curiosity and passion. They appreciated that I wasn’t just asking to ask, I was genuinely thirsty to hear their answers and glean new info. Some people, meanwhile, were less understanding and gracious. That was fine with me.” ― Kobe Bryant

331. “El dolor en un área de tu cuerpo a menudo proviene de un desequilibrio en otra parte. Con eso en mente, es importante tratar la causa y no el efecto.”

332. “You have to enter every activity, every single time, with a want and need to do it to the best of your ability.”

333. “My routine was grueling. It involved early mornings and late nights. It involved stretching, lifting, training, hooping, recovery, and film study. It involved putting in a lot of work and hours. It’s—no lie—tiring. For that reason, a lot of players pare down their lifting and training during the season. They try conserving their energy. Not me, though.” ― Kobe Bryant

334. “I Felt So Shaken Up”: Woman Leaves Family Trip After Eavesdropping On Husband’s Conversation With Mother-In-Law50 Times Signs Were So Funny, People Had To Share Them On This Facebook Page

335. If you don't believe in yourself, nobody else will.

336. “I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my game, but I also wasn’t willing to sacrifice my family time. So I sacrificed sleep, and that was that.” ― Kobe Bryant

337. I never needed any external forces to motivate me.

338. This is the moment I accept the most challenging times will always be behind me and in front of me.

339. “If I wanted to implement something new into my game, I’d see it and try incorporating it immediately. I wasn’t scared of missing, looking bad, or being embarrassed.”

340. “I built my game to have no holes. It doesn’t matter how well you knew my game. It doesn’t matter if we played against each other for years, or were even teammates for a stretch. None of that helped you guard me. Yes, you might have known I preferred to go one way. That didn’t ultimately matter, because I could just as easily go the other way. Yeah, you might have also thought you knew my cadence and rhythm, except—I didn’t have one. I made a point to adjust the pace of my attack to throw defenders off. In essence, the more you thought you knew about my game, the harder it would actually be to guard me.”

341. Life is too short to get bogged down and be discouraged, you have to keep moving, you have to keep going. -Kobe Bryant

342. “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.”

343. From the beginning, I wanted to be the best. I had a constant craving, a yearning, to improve and be the best. -Kobe Bryant

344. “Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.”- Kobe Bryant

345. “The moment you give up is the moment you let someone else win.” – Kobe Bryant

346. There’s a fine balance between obsessing about your craft and being there for your family, it’s akin to walking a tightrope. -Kobe Bryant

347. “I’m more than comfortable just sitting back and scoring 21, 22 points or whatever and getting 10, 11 assists whatever the case might be. More than comfortable with that. It’s just a matter of the pieces that you have around you and what you can do to elevate everybody else.” — Kobe Bryant

348. “Everything negative — pressure, challenges — are all an opportunity for me to rise.”— Kobe Bryant

349. It’s the one thing you can control. You are responsible for how people remember you—or don’t. So don’t take it lightly.

350. “After all, greatness is not for everybody.” ― Kobe Bryant

351. Some people, after all, enjoy looking at a watch; others are happier figuring out how the watch works. -Kobe Bryant

352. “I’m playing against great players, playing against the best in the world. The competition – that’s what I’ve always wanted.” — Kobe Bryant

353. 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. -Kobe Bryant

354. “Christmas morning, I’m going to open presents with my kids. I’m going to take pictures of them opening the presents. Then I’m going to come to the Staples Center and get ready to work.” – Kobe Bryant

355. “Some games require more intensity, so I would need to get my character and mind in an animated zone. Other games, I needed calm.”

356. “I was curious. I wanted to improve, learn, and fill my head with the history of the game. No matter who I was with—a coach, Hall of Famer, teammate—and no matter the situation; game, practice, vacation; I would fire away with question after question.”

357. “One of the main takeaways was that you have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light. Meaning: It takes a lot of work to be successful, and people will celebrate that success, will celebrate that flash and”

358. “I love going one-on-one with someone. That’s what I do. I’ve never lost. It’s a whole different game, just to have them right in front of you and be able to do whatever you want.” — Kobe Bryant

359. “People make a huge deal out of clutch shots. Thing is, it’s just one shot. If you make a thousand shots a day, it’s just one of a thousand. Once you’re hitting that many, what’s one more? That was my mentality from day one.”

360. “Friends come and go, but banners hang forever.” ― Kobe Bryant

361. “I had to organize things. So I created the ‘Black Mamba’. So Kobe has to deal with these issues, all the personal challenges. The Black Mamba steps on the court and does what he does. I’m destroying everybody that steps on the court.” — Kobe Bryant

362. “I would go 0-for-30 [from the floor] before I would go 0-for-9. 0-for-9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game. … The only reason is because you’ve just now lost confidence in yourself.” — Kobe Bryant

363. “I’ve played with IVs before, during, and after games. I’ve played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball. I don’t miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn’t that serious in the first place.”