The Mamba Mentality: How I Play

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.

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.

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.

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.

You have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

After all, greatness is not for everybody

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Obsess to find ways to win. Work ethic separates the great from the good.""Be so focused on your own ambitions that no one can distract you from achieving them.""Have a maniacal work ethic. You want to overprepare so that luck becomes a product of design.""Stay hungry. Dominate each day with ambition unknown to humankind.""Goals motivate you. Bad habits corrode you.""Operate with love. It fuels the desire to become great.""Be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Growth comes at the end of discomfort.""Don't wait for opportunity. Create it. Seize it. Shape it.""Learn every aspect of your craft and substance will follow.""Find your killer instinct. Impose your will. But also realize you are part of a team.

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.

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.

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.