Home

NBA

10 Years After Making “Stolen All Moves” Confession, Kobe Bryant Put His Lesser Known Strategy on Display for Kyrie Irving, Paul George and Others

Published 09/27/2023, 4:30 PM EDT

Follow Us

via Imago

The late Kobe Bryant was one of the most talented basketball players of all time. However, he was not the most athletic, not the fastest, and not even the strongest. His talent was his ability to work hard. He studied the game of basketball and put in the hard work to improve his skill set. After 5 NBA championships, 9x all-star selections, and countless more accolades, we can safely assume that his NBA career was not based on luck. His ethic to work hard was enough to outshine the naturally talented players who didn’t work as hard as him.

In a resurfaced clip on “X” from 4 years ago, the Black Mamba can be seen teaching his lesser-known strategy to active NBA players like Kyrie Irving and Paul George among others.

When a retired Kobe Bryant invited NBA stars to the ‘Mamba Academy’

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

In the resurfaced “X” clip, Late Kobe Bryant was seen imparting priceless basketball knowledge to active professional NBA athletes. In a lecture at the prestigious Mamba Academy, the Laker legend explained the importance of watching game footage. The Laker legend says, “Watching film is about questions. “What would happen if I move this player here?” Then, from that we get options and those options you get to use during the games. I used to watch a ton of film because when the game is being played, things are moving really fast.”.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

The Black Mamba then explains to the NBA athletes about different plays that one can run by drawing on a whiteboard. All the NBA athletes listened without a single word because they knew they were getting priceless first-hand information from the great Kobe Bryant.

 

Kobe was a basketball savant who was virtually unstoppable, offensively. The opponent team made sure to always double-team him during his good games because he was capable of shooting a hundred points, just by himself. However, many question his greatness by saying that he “stole” moves from other NBA legends to make his game better. But why?

When the late Kobe Bryant confessed to “stealing all moves”

Anyone with the opinion that Kobe Bryant is not an original player doesn’t understand the elite level at which these NBA athletes compete. Many players are not able to work long-term on their weaknesses and stick to their strengths but with time, their ability to adapt to the ever-evolving game diminishes and they retire.

via Imago

Kobe was able to work on his weaknesses in the long term. He did it so well that he continued to perform at a high level for the majority of his NBA career. His 9x All-Star selections are proof of that.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

He once confessed to ‘ESPN News’, “I seriously have stolen all my moves from the greatest players”. The Laker legend watched countless hours of game film of NBA legends and incorporated their skills into his game. He creates space like Oscar Robertson, has an explosive pull-up jumper like Jerry West, or even the post-up shake-and-go he took from Hakeem Olajuwon.

Taking inspiration from all the legends that played in the NBA before him, Kobe Bryant honed his skills and polished them even further. He was able to perfect the basketball skills he learned from the legends and added his own flavor to it. He executed it to perfection while making it look picture-perfect. He was a true student of the game, and an offensive nightmare for the opposition.

WATCH THI STORY| Not Michael Jordan but Kobe Bryant lit a fire inside Dwyane Wade to redefine LeBron James and own legacy

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

What are your thoughts on the Black Mamba’s lesson on watching film to the NBA athletes? Let us know in the comments below!

 

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Akhil Chakravarthy

287Articles

One take at a time

Akhil is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been following the NBA for more than a decade and represented his state at the National level. To hone his understanding of the inner workings of the game, he closely follows the analysis of popular NBA insiders and reporters like Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania.
Show More>

Edited by:

Caroline Joseph