Two years ago today, NBA legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter accident, which made basketball fans around the world lament it.
Bryant's untimely death has become a huge loss for the sports world, but in the days away from him, the "Mamba Spirit" is still inspiring future generations and benefiting the world.
What is the "Mamba Spirit"? Different people have different understandings. At first, it was just a hashtag that Kobe Bryant popped up with one day, and then it developed into a competitive attitude — helping people succeed in sports and beyond.
Bryant himself gave a speech during his 2016 trip to China, interpreting the "mamba spirit" in five key words. Today, two years after Kobe's death, these qualities are still reflected in different "successors", so that the "Mamba Spirit" continues to shine brightly.
Be Passionate – Kobe Believes Passion Comes From Love, Love for Basketball, Love for Life. Don't be the second who, be the first me
Speaking in an interview after the Suns' 112-94 victory over the Pacers on Jan. 15, Devin Booker called on people to stop comparing him to Kobe Bryant: "I'm inspired by the Kobe and Mamba spirit, but I'm not Kobe Bryant. ”
Booker has often been compared to Kobe Bryant since he first entered the league, in addition to the same draft pick and position on the court, his enthusiasm for the game and killer mentality are also the same as Koru. In his rookie season, Booker had the privilege of playing Kobe Bryant, a game in which he was radiant as a rookie, scoring 28 points and seven assists on 12-of-22 shooting to help the Suns beat the Lakers 119-107.
After the game, Bryant gave Booker a pair of his own 11th-generation sneakers and wrote a message to Booker on it: "Be Legendary" on it. This sentence was later tattooed on the arm by Booker to commemorate his mentor and remind himself to continue to work hard and keep forging ahead in the direction of the idol.
"Kobe Bryant has always been my idol, and through his own actions, he has told me how to play and how to succeed, which will bring great help to me in my future career."
Booker is indeed the most kobe-like of the younger generation. In his second year in the league, he completed a single 70-point crazy scoring performance, and some people ridiculed him for brushing the data but failing to get back a victory, but don't forget that Booker was only 20 years old at the time. The pursuit of excellence is precisely the display of his enthusiasm.
In the following career, Booker has a passion for basketball and a desire for victory, constantly learning and improving, and becoming more mature. Last season, with the help of veteran Chris Paul, he finally made the playoffs and made it all the way to the Finals.
After scoring 47 points in the sixth game of the first round to eliminate the Lakers, Booker took the initiative to mention Kobe: "Honestly, I thought of Kobe Bryant, I thought of what he once said to me. He once told me how to become a legend. When I saw the No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys above the arena, I felt a beam of light shining on me. I knew he was there, and I knew, and he would be proud of me. ”
This season, Booker continued to polish his game, shooting career-high three-point shooting and averaging the lowest number of turnovers per game since a rookie season. More importantly, the Suns are currently in the league with a three-win advantage over the Warriors, and it looks like Booker will have a chance to win the first championship of his career.
Booker knew he still had a long way to go to truly "become a legend" like Bryant. He didn't want people to compare him to Bryant, not to "draw a line" with Kobe, but on the contrary, it was out of his extreme respect for mentors.
Be Obsessive – Bryant is obsessed with basketball and winning. If you don't achieve your goal, you won't give up
If you don't know Trae Young, you wouldn't think he's a professional basketball player — 6 feet 1 inch tall, 164 pounds, no different from the average person. It is not difficult to imagine that such a small man can break into the NBA and become the representative of the new force in the league, and have to pay many times more effort than others.
Young is never shy about expressing his admiration for Bryant, who in his eyes is an important mentor to him — he received serious guidance from the legendary superstar long before he landed in the NBA.
On the night of Bryant's death, young began the first few seconds of the game in the Hawks' home game against the Wizards in the No. 8 jersey as a tribute to his mentor. In that game, Young eventually scored 45 points and 14 assists, and in an interview after the game, he recalled his last conversation with Kobe Bryant and burst into tears.
Young said Bryant told him he was proud to see his progress in the game and hoped he would continue to set an example for children, including Gigi. Gigi, who died with Kobe Bryant in that unfortunate accident, has always been his favorite player, Trae Young.
The dedication to basketball and victory allowed Trae Young to overcome many difficulties and step onto the big stage of the NBA, but in his heart, this is far from the end. He wants to be like his mentor, win everything and stand on the top!
Last May, Trae Young, who first stepped on the playoff stage, immediately stole all the spotlight and led the team all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
In the first round, he beat the Knicks effortlessly and stimulated the audience at Madison Square Garden again and again. He not only fought against the fans in "Basketball Mecca", but also supported his "arrogant" attitude with impeccable on-field performance. If Kobe Bryant were alive, he would certainly appreciate the sight.
Louis Williams was a teammate with Bryant in his final season with the Lakers and now serves as a backup for Trae Young for the Hawks. In an interview, the veteran praised Young's performance, "He is talented and so young, opponents should hate him to the bone, because they are beaten to the teeth by him." He was open to accepting his image of the 'wicked', and he was the hero of Atlanta. ”
As a ruthless competitor, Yang is never shy about the big scene, but will be excited by it. He once said in an interview: "Whenever I think of Kobe, I think of his big heart – the ability to end the game with key goals in key moments." ”
This season, the Overall Performance of the Hawks has struggled, but Young's personal performance is impeccable, he has scored a total of 1174 points so far, ranking first in the league, and 390 assists after Paul and Harden, ranking third.
Trae Young, who has become accustomed to dealing with difficult situations, will have the opportunity to prove once again his perseverance and resilience as he becomes more and more frustrated.
Be Relentless – Kobe Bryant is strict with himself and strict with others. He is a ruthless killer and a ruthless competitor
On August 23, 2021, Kobe's 43rd birthday, Giannis Antetokounmpo posted on social media to pay tribute to his mentor: "Happy Birthday! The greatest player of all time. ”
Antetokounmpo was 13 years old and only began watching basketball for the first time, in the 2008 NBA Finals, when he had to overcome jet lag and stay up late to watch the game because he was in Europe. He watched a player on the field kill everyone else, and that person was none other than Kobe Bryant. This later became the driving force for alphabet brothers to continue to forge ahead and improve themselves.
By 2017, Bryant had retired as a player, and Alphabet Brother accepted Kobe's Mamba Spirit Challenge at a campaign organized by Nike as the fastest improving player.
Kobe Bryant's goal for Alphabet Brother seemed quite bold at the time: to win the league MVP! But just two years later, Alphabet Brother completed the challenge, winning the NBA's regular season Most Valuable Player. And Kobe Bryant presented him with a new challenge: "Brothers are good, MVP is in hand." Next, overall champion! ”
Brother Alphabet accepted the challenge again, folded twice, made a comeback twice, and finally led the Bucks to defeat the Suns in 2021, winning the first championship in the history of the team in 50 years, and he himself was elected as the MVP of the Finals without suspense.
Holding two heavy trophies, Brother Alphabet couldn't help but think of Kobe Again: "This means a lot to me, at first I just half-jokingly asked him to challenge me, but I didn't expect him to respond very seriously and make me believe that I can do it." 」 Then I have to do it and work hard for it and don't let him down. I had to give it my all because he believed I could do it! ”
Unlike many superstars in the league, Brother Alphabet is also very cold to his opponents while demanding himself. He doesn't like to make friends everywhere and rarely hangs out with other superstars. But Bryant is different, in the eyes of the alphabet brother, he is a really worthy of respect and learning object, so at a business event on the 2018 All-Star Weekend, he took the initiative to ask Kobe Bryant if he could find time to train with him.
'The key is the way he thinks, understands the mentality of the great players and sees how he understands the game. Alphabet Brother explains this.
With the guidance of famous teachers and their own efforts, Alphabet Brother continues to evolve and become a monster at both ends of the attack and defense. His style of play is brutal and ruthless, and in addition to the aggressive tarts on the offensive end, he does not give opponents any breathing space when defending. He had suffered setbacks, but never compromised easily, but only stuck to his beliefs and tried to charge again.
"I want to achieve my career, but I have my own stubborn side. It's easy to hold a group with other people and win the championship, I can go to a super team and provide my own strength to win the championship. But I chose such a tough way and we did it! ”
Alphabet Brother insisted on one person and one city, and finally succeeded in winning the championship, just like the original Kobe Bryant. Alphabet Brother also always remembers what Kobe Bryant said during the farewell battle - he is most proud of those dark years:
"We didn't give up, we ran away, we went through everything and finally won the championship. We achieved our goals in the right way. ”
Be Resilient – Bryant experienced several major injuries later in his career, and each time, he responded to injuries with a positive attitude
When Klay Thompson began storming his fourth NBA championship with the Warriors in the 2018-19 season, Bryant gave him a copy of Mamba Spirit: How I Played and signed his high expectations for Clay: "Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring." ”
Klay grew up in admiration for Kobe, whose father, Michael Thompson, helped the Lakers win two championships in 1987 and 1988, and one day in 2001 he brought his kids into the Lakers' locker room, when Klay, who was only 11 years old at the time, was so excited to speak in front of idol Kobe Bryant.
A few years later, Clay attended Bryant's bootcamp and had the opportunity to look deeper into his idol and learn from him, which he later described as "one of the most precious experiences of my life." ”
Later, Klay's college career was affected by some off-court troubles, and Bryant personally texted him to encourage him to move on. Clay still remembers the text message: "Forget the past, just play." ”
Before retiring in 2016, Bryant gave Klay his jersey after his final game with the Warriors, writing on it: "I'm really happy to see you grow into a player like today. Keep moving! ”
In the 2019 NBA Finals, the Warriors failed to defend their title, and Klay also suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Game 6. This serious injury gave Clay a full year of rest, waiting for him to recover and prepare for a comeback, but he tore his Achilles tendon before the training camp began, and then suffered another serious injury. This break is more than a year.
In the long process of battling injuries, the "Mamba Spirit" has been Clay's greatest support. Especially in January 2020, after Kobe Bryant suffered misfortune, Thompson turned his grief into strength and decided not to disappoint the mentor's spirit in heaven.
He once wrote emotionally on social media: "Brother, I really don't miss you for a day. Rest in peace, Mamba and GiGi, and your legacy will live on forever, not only for every player who loves basketball, but also for anyone who has a dream, a passion, and makes a dream a reality at all costs. ”
After 941 days of waiting, Clay has finally returned to his beloved stadium, and his indomitable efforts will surely be rewarded.
Be Fearless – Kobe Believes that a person's greatest fear comes from himself. If you can overcome yourself, you have nothing to fear
On December 20, 2021, the Bulls beat the Lakers 115-110, and Demar DeRozan, who had just lifted his health and safety agreement, played well in the first game after his comeback, scoring 38 points.
The 32-year-old former All-Star guard, who is playing his career-highest season, averaging 26.3 points, 5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, led by his outstanding performance, the Bulls once occupied the first place in the East, and he naturally appeared in the MVP discussion. In connection with what DeRozan has experienced, he is truly impressive today.
As a Los Angeles native, DeRozan is naturally a Lakers fan, and since the age of 16, he has often trained with Kobe Bryant and received the hands-on guidance of the Lakers legend.
With Kobe Bryant's pointing and his own efforts, DeRozan developed the league's top mid-range offensive skills, and thus became the home star of the Raptors, a powerful person on the side.
However, due to the inability to cross the mountain of LeBron James, the "King of the North" became a "garbage brother", and later in order to gamble on the championship, the Raptors gave him as a trading chip to the Spurs. DeRozan has always been angry about this matter, because he has given everything for this team and the city, and shortly before the trade, the team's president Marseille Ujerri personally made a promise to him not to trade.
The deal also seems to have been a watershed in DeRozan's career — before the deal, he was in an All-Star for three consecutive years, and his form was in full swing. But after being sent to San Antonio, he has never been able to win the favor of fans and managers, and some authoritative media have even excluded him from the list of the league's top 100 players...
NBA players are a "high-pressure profession", exposed to the spotlight for many years, subject to the scrutiny of the media and the public, "performance anxiety", irregular life schedules, repeated injuries... DeRozan was not only one of them, but also one of the first warriors to come out and admit that he was suffering from mental depression.
But facing up to the problem is always the first step to solving the problem, although the career development is not smooth, but in the face of adversity, DeRozan always keeps in mind the words of the mentor "focus on the process, believe in the results of hard work" - this is the essence of the Mamba spirit.
It turns out that DeRozan's struggles over the past few years are more for environmental reasons. Last offseason, he signed as a free agent and then switched to the Bulls, finally regaining his life.
DeRozan revealed that when he learned of his termination of the health and safety agreement, it was late at night local time, but he did not want to waste any time, so he returned to the gym at 1 a.m. for training. "I feel free like a bird." Where does this look like a patient who has suffered from psychological problems?
"When my father put a basketball in my hand, it became my initiation. Beyond that, Kobe Bryant is all I've imagined about basketball. Kobe Bryant was basically everything to me, and it was he who shaped me and laid the foundation for me today. This is not only the voice of DeRozan, but also the common voice of many players of his generation.
The dead are gone, and the living are like this.
It's been two years since Bryant died, and the Mamba spirit is still with us.
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