Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He was obsessed with mastering his craft, one-upping everybody else, and leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the top. And more often than not, he succeeded.
Those who knew him remember Kobe as the hardest working person they’d ever meet. He was always willing to go the extra mile and as such, he demanded his teammates nothing but 150% effort every time they set foot on the court.
And, while that Mamba Mentality is now an inspiration, it didn’t seem like it always sit well with his teammates. According to Gilbert Arenas, his teammates didn’t always embrace that spirit during his playing days.
Gilbert Arenas Says Kobe’s Teammates Didn’t Like His Mentality
“When we’re in sports and we’re on teams, our natural instinct is to fit in, to be liked,” Arena told LeSean McCoy in the ‘I Am Athlete’ podcast. “Greatness doesn’t want to be liked. Nobody liked Kobe Bryant. Like it’s funny when everybody had a Mamba Mentality. Everybody hated the Mamba Mentality. Y’all hated that he thought selfish like that. Now it’s okay.”
“That is true,” McCoy replied.“He started being cool his last year. He started being cool to everybody, smiling. I’ve never seen Kobe smile.”
“Yeah because he was winding down,” Arenas explained. “The competitiveness is out. You know, like, slapping players trying to get a reaction to see who’s going to fold, who’s not. Telling everybody ‘Take my shoes off, you ain’t balling like that.Take them off.’ That’s what greatness does. Greatness wants to challenge everybody. So nobody really likes it when it’s in the locker room. That’s that arrogant dude.”
At the end of the day, Kobe’s legacy will shine the brightest among most of the athletes of his generation. What he accomplished transcended the hardwood as he set the standard for what it means to work hard to become the best version of yourself.