Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant will forever hold a special place in the heart of many basketball fans.
It wasn’t just his accomplishments. Bryant’s championships were a byproduct of his will to win, but they weren’t the reason everyone loved him.
Everyone loved him because of his mindset. One quote in particular summed up his mentality well.
The quote in question came from Gotham Chopra, the director of the Showtime documentary “Kobe Bryant’s Muse,” and it was in response to Deron Williams. More specifically, it was in response to Williams going 0-of-9 one night. Chopra said, via Uproxx:
“Deron Williams went like 0-for-9. I was like, ‘Can you believe Deron Williams went 0-9?’ Kobe was like, ‘I would go 0-30 before I would go 0-9. 0-9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game, because Deron Williams can get more shots in the game. The only reason is because you’ve just now lost confidence in yourself.’”
Nothing will ever encapsulate Bryant’s mentality better than that quote.
Fans continue to take Bryant’s memory very seriously, as made clear by the reaction that one man received when he tried yelling an insult about the Lakers legend. And while some like Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers may not believe he should be the NBA logo, some sort of periodic remembrance of his contributions to the sport are very important to his supporters.
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