Kobe Bryant came into the NBA as an 18-year-old. In 1996, Kobe became one of the very few players to forego college and opt to play in the NBA instead. In his senior year, there was so much hype around a young Mamba as he had established himself as the best high-school basketball player in the country. But was the NBA too easy for him?
Kobe had a phenomenal high-school career. He made heads turn as early as his freshman year. Carrying an average of 30.8 points, 12.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists in his senior year earned Kobe several awards and a lot of recognition. This gave confidence and pushed the Mamba to join the NBA at a young age. But Kobe once said that the NBA was easier when compared to high-school basketball. Why did he think that?
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When Kobe Bryant briefed about the competitiveness in the NBA
Kobe is always energetic when it comes to giving interviews. You can learn a lot about him as a person if you take some detail from his words. One of the final interviews Kobe Bryant gave before his tragic death is now a priceless clip for all his fans.
In 2019, Kobe sat down with Patrick Bet-David of Valuetainment to discuss about life, basketball and everything that revolves around it. At one point, the Mamba shared about his transition from high-school to the NBA. The Lakers legend explained why the professional league proved to be less competitive than his high-school career.
Here is how Kobe compared the NBA to high-school. “The NBA, it was actually easier, because what I found in the NBA is a lot of guys playing for financial stability,” Kobe said. “When they came to the NBA, they got that financial stability, so, therefore, the passion and the work ethic and the obsession, the obsessiveness was gone. It’s like taking candy from a baby, no wonder Mike wins all these fu**i*g championships,” he exclaimed.
One set of athletes were in it for the money, according to Kobe. They lost the passion once they knew they were going to receive the money anyhow. But there was also another extreme to this matter, and the five-time champion also brushed on that.
“Then you had the players that had that passion, but weren’t willing to commit their entire lives to doing that. It’s a choice. You have other things. You have family, you have all these other things that you have to do. The game can’t really be your number one priority.”
Well, in his glittering 20-year career, Kobe Bryant was nothing short of passionate. Every game night Kobe ensured he gave his maximum effort in contributing towards his team’s victory. The 60-point retirement game of the Mamba proves to be a beaming example of his dedication to the game.
