A book to be taken as an example and inspiration, especially at this time. Kobe Bryant, The Mamba Mentality. A moment of reflection, now that we are called to “stop us”, but at the same time it is important to keep the mind busy. The mind is powerful, and the proof is what, thanks to their mentality and attitude, he accomplished in his life (that goes beyond a career on the basketball court) the Champion of Los Angeles Lakers. The athlete, the man, and especially the father. For our kids to read…
INVICTUS Academy
IN BASKETBALL, I WAS NOT SCARED.
That is: if I saw a new technique and I wanted to make it mine, I tried immediately. I was not afraid of making mistakes, to make a bad impression or feel embarrassed, because I always kept the final result in mind, the long run. I focused on trying to learn that something new, because after learning that I would end up with a new weapon in my arsenal. If the price to pay was a lot of effort and some missed baskets, A little bad.
As a kid, I worked tirelessly to add elements to my game. When I saw something I liked, in person or on television, I immediately went to try it, I tried it again the next day and then immediately put it into practice. When I entered the NBA I was able to learn very quickly. I saw something that struck me, I memorized it and replicated it perfectly.
From the beginning I wanted to be the best.
I felt a burning hunger, an inextinguishable desire to improve and excel. I never needed to look for motivation outside of myself.
In my rookie year, some scouts said I wasn't tough enough. I let myself be closed to the first action of a match and the defense thought they had cheated me. Instead, on the next play I picked up an offensive foul just to send a message to the opponents.
But I didn't need that extra push to be big. From day one I've always wanted to dominate. In front of an opponent I was saying: I will understand how you are made. That it was Al, Tracy, Vince – or, Nowadays, by LeBron, Russ, Steph – my goal was to figure out who he was. And to succeed, to solve those puzzles, I was willing to do much more than anyone else.
That was the fun part for me.
Text and images taken from the book Kobe Bryant, The Mamba Mentality.