MM#300--Embracing the Mamba Mentality: Honoring the Legacy of Kobe Bryant

Welcome to the Theory to Action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time, to help you take action immediately and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now here's your host, david Kaiser.

Hello, I am David and welcome back to another Mojo Minute and to a special tribute podcast to perhaps one of the top 10 greatest basketball players of all time. Today we're going to commemorate and celebrate the legendary figure in sports, the unique and unparalleled Kobe Bryant. It's hard to believe it's already been four years since we lost this extraordinary athlete and man. Kobe Bryant was more than just a basketball player. He was a true titan of the game and an icon who transcended the world of sports, known for his unmatchable work, ethic, relentless competitiveness and fiery passion for the game. Kobe's Mamba mentality remains an inspiration for countless athletes and ordinary people. Like he was a beacon of hope for a city that is being lost. Right now, that city is Los Angeles and a state of California that's being lost, but he was a beacon of hope for that city. He led the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA championships with his incredible skill and unmatched dedication Off the court. He was a loving father, a philanthropist and a mentor to many young players. His influence extended far beyond basketball and he used his platform to make a positive impact on the world, and, in fact, he wrote a book, and I've been reading that book for the past week in preparation for this podcast. The Mamba mentality how I play it was written by Kobe Bryant in 2018. And with that, let's go to our first poll quote. When it came to basketball, I had no fear. 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 something, that I had to try something to get it, and once I got it, I would have another tool in my arsenal. If the price was a lot of work and a few missed shots, I was okay with that. As a kid, I would work tirelessly on adding elements to my game. I would see something I liked in person or on film and 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. 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. I didn't need that extra push. To be great, though, from day one, I wanted to dominate. My mindset was I'm going to figure you out whether it was AI Tracy Vince or, if I were coming out today, lebron Steph Russ. My goal was to figure you out, and to do that to figure those puzzles out I was willing to do more than anyone else. That was the fun part for me, and again, that is Kobe Bryant in the Mamba mentality how I play. It was written in 2018. Fortunately, we lost Kobe Bryant four years ago tomorrow on the airing of this podcast, and I wanted to do this tribute podcast because Kobe Bryant was a great basketball player, but, more important, his work ethic is something I think everybody can take away, so much so that let me share from the book a little bit about his workouts. I did biblical workouts. I started lifting weights at age 17 when I got to the NBA. Nothing fancy, just basic, time-tested lifting methods that focused on strengthening one group of muscles at a time Over the meat of my career, whether we were in season or it was summer, I would live for 90 minutes on Monday, tuesday, thursday, friday, and when I say lift, I mean heavy hard, can't fill your arms type of lift. After that I would go into the gym and shoot. 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. By midnight or, I'm sorry, my midnight workouts have become a thing of legend. Yet they were always purposeful. They were born from a mix of obsession and real-world responsibilities. I always felt like if I started my day early, I could train more each day. If I started at 11, I'd get in a few hours, rest for four hours and then get back to the gym around five to seven. But if I started at 5 am and went until 7, I could go again from 11 until 2, and then again at 6 to 8. By starting earlier, I set myself up for an extra workout each day Over the course of a summer. That's a lot of extra hours in the gym. At the same time, starting early helped me balance basketball in life. When my kids woke up in the morning I was there. They wouldn't even know I had just finished at the gym At night, I'd be able to put them to bed and then go work out again during my own time, not theirs. 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. I heard about these biblical workouts. And then the midnight workouts. I always wanted to ask Kobe obviously never had a chance, never got to meeting. I always wanted to ask him if you sacrifice sleep, how much sleep did you actually get? Because sleep is important. So I was curious how that would all balance out. But I want to turn now to a story from an NBA trainer, because I think it's just fascinating. Now it happened in 2007. At the time, kobe Bryant was the best player in basketball. He was holding a skills academy. Where these skills academy? That's where people started to notice this intensity of Kobe's workouts. That's where they actually became legendary. So the skills academy would invite the very best high schoolers and college kids to come work out with one of the best players in the world. It was a three day mini camp. I think they've gone on to have other stars do it. I think LeBron has done it. I think Dwayne Wade has done it. Don't quote me on that, but I think so. So this young trainer had an opportunity to watch Kobe Bryant's urban legend workouts and he was very intrigued. Now again, back in 2007, kobe was still the best player on the planet. Lebron was getting better, but he still wasn't there. Michael had retired, so there was just Kobe and the rest of the league. In fact, let me let me quote from this sports guide directly. He says quote so at my earliest opportunity I walked up to him, kobe Bryant, and asked if I could watch one of his private workouts, and he was incredibly gracious and flashed a smile and said sure, man, no problem, I'm going to go at four. And he could see that I was a little confused in my face because I just got done looking through the camp schedule, and the camp schedule said the first workout with the kids was the following day at 3.30. Kobe recognized the confused look on my face and quickly clarified with a wink and said yeah, that's for AM. Now you realize there's not a legitimate, a really legitimate excuse in the world why you can't be somewhere at four in the morning, at least not to the guy like Kobe Bryant who's going to accept basically nothing. And if I was committing myself to be there, I figured I'm going to have to be there. And if I'm going to do that, I might as well leave my mark. I might as well try and impress Kobe and show him how serious of a trainer I was. So I came up with a plan to beat him to the gym. So I set my alarm for 3 AM and alarm goes off and I jump in and I quickly get myself together and I hop in the cab and I get to the gym. Now, when I step outside the cab, it's 3.30 in the morning, it's pitch black outside and yet from the parking lot I can see that the gym light is on and from the parking lot I can faintly hear the ball bouncing and the sneakers squeaking. I walk inside the side door. Kobe is already in a full sweat. He was going through an intense workout before. It was actually like a pre-workout, a warmup before his officially started workout at four with his professional trainer started. Now, out of professional courtesy, I didn't say anything to him. I didn't even say anything to the trainer. I just sat down and for the first 45 minutes I was actually shocked. I was shocked because for the first 45 minutes I watched the best player on the planet do the most basic footwork and offensive moves. Kobe was doing stuff that I had routinely taught to middle school age players. Now don't get it twisted that Kobe Bryant was. He was actually doing everything at unparalleled level of intensity, not at a middle school level of intensity. Everything was done at a very high level of intensity and everything was done with surgical precision. But the actual stuff he was doing was incredibly basic. The workout lasted a couple more hours than when it was over. I didn't say anything to him. I didn't say anything to the trainer. I left quietly, but my curiosity got the best of me. I had to know. So later that day at camp I went up to him and I said Kobe, I don't get it. You're the best player in the world. Why were you performing such basic drills? And again he was very gracious. He smiled, but he said with all seriousness why do you think I'm the best player in the world? And then answered his own question Because I never get bored with the basics. I never get bored with the basics. Now, kobe Bryant is the best player in the game of basketball because he never gets bored with the basics. This trainer goes on as a young coach. For me, this was a life-changing lesson, and that's just because something is basic doesn't mean it is easy. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. But, as you all know, we live in a world that tells us it's okay to skip steps, it tells us it's okay to circumvent the process, pushes us to chase what's hot, what's flashy, what's sexy and just ignore the basics. But you all know the basics Work. They've always worked, they always will. So the very first step to improving your performance in any area of your life personally or professionally, individually or organizationally is emitting that the basics work. But it's also this is key it's also having the humility to acknowledge that implementing them with consistency is never easy. And that's the end of the trainer's talk. Is that not a great story? And I just love it because it gives us the confidence that if we want to be great in whatever we do, whatever profession we have, whatever vocation we have, we cannot get bored with the basics. Number one we need to identify the basics, the fundamentals, in our job and we need to practice those fundamentals relentlessly, because it's paramount to achieving mastery in any field, be it sports, arts, business, sales, street sweeping and the reason is twofold. Firstly, the basics form the foundation of any skill. They are the building blocks that other, more complex abilities are built upon. Without a strong foundational understanding and a proficiency in the basics, progression is not only difficult but is also unstable. Some might never get to the more complex if they don't understand the basics. Secondly, repetition leads to automation. When we repeatedly practice a basic skill, our brains develop what is called muscle memory, allowing us to perform these tasks almost instinctively. This automaticity, as they call it, frees up the mental resources that can focus quickly on strategy, creativity and other high level aspects of performance and thereby grant us the ability to excel and, dare I say, even flourish. That is why champions like Kobe Bryant emphasize on never getting bored with the basics. Would Kobe left us way too soon, at the young age of 41 years old so young. I ask that you please pray for his widowed wife and his four daughters. Yes, we miss him. We in the public miss him, but I'm sure they miss their father night after night after night. I'm sure his wife misses her husband night after night after night. So please pray for them. I'll put a link in the show notes for the NBA trainer that shared that story. Found it on YouTube. Very good stuff. Also, I will put in the link or in the show notes a wonderful interview by Patrick Bet David. It's most likely one of the best interviews right before Kobe passed. It was a long sit down interview. Patrick asked very good questions. He's a very good interview. He knows how to ask a compelling question and then shut up, which is less than 10% of every interviewer on TV these days. So, like I said, I'll put links in the show notes for the trainer talk and the interview. But in today's mojo minute, as we remember Kobe Bryant, let us not mourn his untimely departure. Instead, let's celebrate his life, his legacy and the enduring lessons he taught all of us. Let's strive to embody that Mamba mentality in our own lives. Let's strive to push our limits and never back down from our dreams, no matter the obstacles we face. Kobe Bryant may have left us, but his spirit and his message live on. Again. Please pray for his wife and his kids, and then the concluding words that Kobe always ended with peace Mamba out.

Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this theory to action podcast. Be sure to check out our show page at teammojoacademycom, where we have everything we discussed in this podcast, as well as other great resources. Until next time, keep getting your mojo on.