The Life Changing Lesson and Legacy That Kobe Bryant Left Us

Nearly five years later, there is still sadness and disbelief that we lost one of the greatest athletes of all-time at such a young age. Kobe Bryant, a legend and icon, left this world far too soon in a tragic helicopter crash. As we discover in life, it’s what we can learn someone's legacy that helps us to move forward. Kobe's “Mamba mindset” is a championship gift that will help us to live a more successful and productive life.

Kobe Bryant was blessed with immense athletic talent and confidence — he grew up in Italy and the United States, as his father played professional basketball. He had the benefit of learning from a highly-skilled professional, which is something some of us don’t have. But beyond his natural abilities, it was the mental and emotional side of the game that he mastered and converted into a championship mindset.

Kobe Bryant’s mindset was one of competitive greatness and a winning mentality that refused to settle or compromise. Bryant entered the league in the shadow of the great, Michael Jordan, and seamlessly took the torch from the great #23 and started scoring, winning and dominating. What he learned from Jordan about mindset is the life-changing lesson we can all benefit from.

Because of Jordan’s otherworldly impact on the game, it was unfair to compare ANYONE to Jordan. The fact that Kobe was prominently in the conversation was, in a strange way, the highest compliment. Yet it also became the prism through which we all saw him. The two men, in many ways, so similar.

Two of the most competitive human beings to ever live. Two masters of mindset that shut out fear, distraction, regret and loss and powered through with hard work to become two of the most productive, prolific and successful athletes of all-time. So, how did Kobe do it? A key insight is in his autobiography:

“If you want to be great in a particular area, you have to obsess over it. A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness.” Source: Mamba Mentality

This obsession started in high school when he’d get up at 4am, practice from 5–7am before school started, then go to classes and keep working on his game later in the day. He was relentless. He wanted to be the best and he’d stop at nothing to get there. He had the attitude and he had the effort. Most importantly, he had the mindset that he’d succeed at the highest-level.

Mindset Matters

Little boys and little girls need heroes of all kinds to look up to. As a young boy growing up in basketball-obsessed New York, I had big hoops dreams. As I finished up my high school years and went on to play in college, I saw a teenager enter the NBA and forever change the game. Kobe made the All-Star team as a rookie and put on a show at Madison Square Garden in the presence of many of the best to ever play the game.

Kobe Bryant was special from the very beginning. He combined his supreme athletic talent, basketball smarts and legendary mindset to become one of the best ever. Many of us were fortunate to see the rise of this prodigy into someone that transcended the game and left a remarkable legacy. Revered by players and many fans alike, he was the ultimate competitor.

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. — Kobe Bryant, Mamba Mentality

The secret to his greatness was a mindset geared toward perseverance, hard work, competitiveness and a relentless desire to be the greatness. That’s the biggest lesson we can learn from Kobe Bryant’s life. He wanted to be the greatest to ever play the game. He knew that he wouldn’t get to that pinnacle on talent and work ethic alone.

He needed a mindset that persevered and smashed fear in the face. He needed a mindset that was self-motivating, empowering, hungry and backed with grit and resilience.

My wish for the legacy of one of the best basketball players to ever live is for us to learn from his mindset and adopt this into our own endeavors. Kobe left us with his greatness — a championship mentality that always seeks to advance, persevere and smile in the face of mistakes and failure. I hope you can appreciate it and use it to your advantage for all time to come.

Visit me on my website (chrisdconnors.com ) to learn more about my speaking and coaching work with leaders and organizations. Please share this on LinkedIn and with friends and colleagues. Welcome to The Champion Leader Movement! Hit the subscribe button to receive this newsletter each week.

Christopher D. Connors is the author of The Champion Leader: https://amzn.to/4aIeJaw . He is also the creator of top LinkedIn Learning course, Leading with Emotional Intelligence . He's a keynote speaker, executive coach, and globally recognized expert on emotional intelligence. Christopher consults with executives and leaders at Fortune 1000 companies.