One of the many things that made Kobe Bryant stand out from the rest of the NBA players was his confidence. Not only he believed that he was better than anybody else but he worked harder every day to accomplish that goal and lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the top of the world.
No one ever questioned Kobe’s talent or work ethic. His character, however, was a different story. He was known for being a tough teammate and his personality reportedly drove multiple stars away from considering playing for the purple and gold.
As a matter of fact, it seems like the Hall of Famer wasn’t even beloved around his peers when he first entered the league, as he was way overconfident and arrogant before even playing a game in the NBA, according to Gary Payton.
Gary Payton Says NBA Veterans Hated Kobe Bryant
“Kobe came in real arrogant. He was a high school kid coming in there talking about he gonna be the greatest, he’s gonna be one of the greatest basketball players. When he went to the Lakers, it started off when he forced Charlotte to trade… to the Lakers, so it is what it was, man… Them OGs was like, Man, who does this kid think he is, making people do this and that.’… So I just say, yeah, a lot of people were really against him, because of how he acted, but I loved it. He had an attitude, he had a dog to it,“ Payton told Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson.
Kobe knew that he was poised for greatness from day one but he didn’t just wait for things to happen. He embraced every single challenge and hurdle and worked his way to the top, eventually earning the respect and admiration of his colleagues.
At the end of the day, Bryant finished his career as one of the greatest players to ever do it, and those who questioned him had no choice but to tip their hat off to him and give him his flowers.
