“Kobe’s a model of what every young player should aspire to be. Year by year, he learned and made his game more solid, and now he’s not just a highlight-film guy but an accomplished NBA player.” Larry Brown.

When you think of great basketball players and about the concept of basketball mental toughness, it is highly likely that you will think of Kobe Bryant.

He started his career at a young age, playing for Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania. He showed greatness at even an early age, as he was declared as the top high school player in the country and won the Naismith Player of the Year citation. He is still applauded for his work ethic and skills, which are major components in the mental game basketball.

Kobe was offered numerous sports scholarships to major colleges and universities as would be expected but in an interesting turn, he chose to go straight into the NBA draft, completely bypassing college.

He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets as the thirteenth pick in the first round of the NBA draft in 1996. He signed his first three-year contract with the Lakers for $3.5 million and moved to California. The start of his career saw a few drawbacks due to injury and his play time was limited. These injuries, however, did not discourage him, because although he thought that it was challenging that he did not know how long he was going to play, he always took it upon himself to ensure that he was ready.

Kobe’s star begun to shine again during the All-Star break after he scored 31 points in the Rookie All-Star game and won the slam-dunk title.

These events compensated for his slow start professionally and even though analysts who understood basketball psychology argued that his decision to skip college may not have been right, he kept going and continued to prove them otherwise.

By 21, Kobe was already on his way to becoming an elite player and in 2000, together with Shaquille O’Neal, they led the Laker’s to win their first title in 12 years.

The Lakers continued to win championships in the subsequent years (2001, 2002).

In 2004, he signed a contract, extending his time with the team for seven years. Though he was an All-Star again in 2005, the Lakers missed the play-offs that season. His career continued to bud in the following years until he had to undergo arthroscopic surgery in 2006. His knee healed and by November of that year, he was back in the lineup.

In the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, Kobe was at his best, drawing the admiration of his fans and earning the NBA officials a good name in the process. He took the challenge of becoming a defensive stopper and protected his team while his other team-mates did the scoring.

In the finals, however, he brought his offensive skills back to play and scored twenty points while at the same time taking control of the game against defending world champions then, Spain.

In many forums, he has been compared to the great Michael Jordan, who according to sports psychology for basketball had equally great skills and a great history much like Kobe Bryant.

Kobie has played his last game and he is the first player in the NBA ever to spend 20 years consecutively with the same team.

Kobe is a legend that will be remembered for his mental toughness because, despite his injuries and his career low points, he never gave up. Only a player with mental toughness can hold it together during such tough times. He demonstrated a good mental game, for example, when he chose to play the defensive during the Beijing Olympics and his efforts paid off. He always worked to increase his mental toughness as he got ready to attack the opponent on the court.

Once he said “everything negative- pressure, challenges-is all an opportunity for me to rise.” This quote by Kobe talks about never giving up and getting up to play even when he feels the game is against him, which is a demonstration of having a good mental game. Without your mental game on, you can never win when you are under pressure and when you feel your position is challenged. He also said something along the lines of not capitulating self-doubt, and being strong mentally being what you require in order that you are able to embrace your fears and doubts. He believes in hard work and persistence. He also believes in being mentally tough and having a good mental game in order to conquer your fears.

That is what makes Kobe Bryant the great legend he is today.

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