NBA legend, the late Kobe Bryant, is one of the all-time greats of the league. Over the course of his illustrious career, he has won the NBA title 5 times with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is adored by fans around the world for his mentality and work ethic.

The ‘Mamba Mentality’ will live forever in the minds of fans as it inspires them to achieve what they strive for. Recently, Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy was in attendance for the ‘No Chill with Gilbert Arenas’ podcast. There, he talked about Kobe Bryant and his work ethic.

Phil Handy has won three NBA titles for three different teams as an assistant coach. In the 2011-12 season, Phil Handy joined the Lakers as an assistant and player development coach. Talking about his first year in the NBA, Handy said that he would be early to help the players. He said that Kobe would come in very early for workouts as well.

READ MORE – “His Lips Were So Soft”: NBA Legend Kobe Bryant Took His Celebrity Date to Atlantic City After a Hectic Prom Night

However, since Handy was new to the franchise, Bryant didn’t know him well. So he would sit and observe Handy’s work as a coach. Finally, Bryant reached out to Handy for a workout. However, it didn’t go as planned and the Mamba wasn’t happy.

Kobe Bryant was not a happy man

The assistant coach said that Kobe Bryant texted him first. He said that a week later Bryant texted him to meet me at the gym at 5:45. And Handy said that he went to the gym at 4:30 and waited for him. However, the Lakers superstar didn’t show up. So he left the gym after waiting till 6:30.

Handy said, “I came in the next morning. My normal time show to work around 7:00 AM. Man, that dude came out of the training room like, ‘Yo mofo!’ You know, cussing at me, f-bombs. ‘Where was you at?’ I was like, ‘Bro I was here. You know you told 5:45.’ He was like, ‘Man I meant 5:45 this morning.’ …And so I was just like ‘Okay.'”

He then said that Kobe Bryant asked him to be at the gym the next day. The coach said that is how his relationship with the legend started. He also said that Bryant respected his work ethic and commitment to helping the players. And that made him work with Handy. Bryant averaged 27.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game that season.

WATCH THIS STORY – Stephen Curry Net Worth: How Rich Is Younger Brother Seth as Compared To The NBA Finals MVP?

Phil Handy started his career as a player development coach for the Lakers in 2011 and worked till 2013. Then he moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers to work as an assistant coach from 2013 to 2018. He won his first title with LeBron James and the Cavs in 2016. Handy then another title with the Toronto Raptors during his one-year stint in 2018. Finally, he again won a ring with LeBron James, this time for the Lakers after he joined them in 2019.