Kobe Bryant’s One Advice That Rescued Novak Djokovic From Costly Mistakes

You already know the lore of basketball and football icons praising Kobe Bryant—add 24-time Grand Slam champion to the list. From shirt tributes to quoting the Lakers legend at every opportunity, Novak Djokovic developed a bond with the five-time NBA champion throughout his career. With the US Open underway and a chance to add another title, we’re hearing about another aspect of the mamba mentality that helped the Serbian.

Being obsessed with winning, perfecting every routine, and thriving in hostile environments—these are just a few traits Kobe and Novak share. This common ground formed the basis of their strong bond, allowing them to discuss their deepest insecurities. On the Purpose Podcast with Jay Shetty, Djokovic detailed key advice from the Lakers legend that he still practices today.

“Kobe Bryant used to talk about this a lot, and when I was talking to him personally, I told him ‘Kobe, I really don’t like watching myself perform bad or when I lost. And it gives me these cramps in my stomach, and I don’t like it.‘” Despite dominating the tennis courts for well over two decades, Djokovic had a habit of avoiding footage of games or sets he lost. “And he said, ‘Even if it’s just specific intervals of the match that you lost, definitely look at that, and you need to analyze that, and you need to go through that cramping feeling because that’s when you learn from those mistakes.“

Kobe Bryant once revealed that he would spend up to 5 hours watching basketball film. Why? To focus on the minute details—checking the right angles, foot placement, teammates’ postures, and opponents’ signals. This meticulous attention to detail allowed him to dominate throughout his career. He even became the oldest NBA player to score 60 points in a single game at age 37. Djokovic recognized the value in this approach and adopted the same advice.

He narrated, “I do watch the matches that I lost and highlights in certain parts but I never watch the last point. I don’t want to watch the point where my opponent fist bumps and raises his hands“. Well, he has every right not to watch somebody else winning. After all, the Djoker has spent a record 428 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

More instances of Novak Djokovic paying respect to Kobe Bryant

It was back in 2013 when Novak Djokovic met the Lakers legend in person for the first time. The tennis star was in Los Angeles to play a charity tennis game at UCLA. But he used this opportunity to also attend a Lakers game from courtside. “Kobe is a fantastic example of a great champion on and off the court,” said Novak Djokovic during a sideline interview before taking a picture with the Black Mamba later that night.

Since then, the relationship has only gotten better. In fact, Kobe Bryant in 2019 picked Djoker as the winner. “Novak is my guy.”

The Serbian was the reigning champion but had to retire in the fourth round due to a shoulder injury. Due to injuries, the 38-year-old was once contemplating retirement, but his mentor Kobe pushed him through. “He was one of the people who was really there for me to give me some very valuable advice and guidelines to kind of believe and trust in myself, trust the process that I’ll be back“.

That’s why the 5x NBA champion’s unfortunate death was heavy on Djokovic’s heart. Despite that, he made a great gesture after winning his 24th Grand Slam title! Novak Djokovic wore a custom t-shirt of him and Kobe Bryant that had ‘Mamba Forever’ on the front and his jersey number ’24’ on the back.