What did Kobe mean to you or teach you over the years?

[KBH]

Work hard for what you want, but also work intelligently. Also, believe in yourself even if no one else does. The man was a true inspiration and this is an incredible loss.

[vanexelent]

There are only a handful of people from the Sports world who's mental approach to their game influenced how people thought about life. John Wooden comes to mind. The mere fact people understand what "Mamba Mentality" is, is a testament to who Kobe was as a man. To think he was also so (bleep) fun and improvisational to watch on the court, is just remarkable.

[Dondre]

He taught me to stay with my wife, it’s cheaper to keep her...

[yinoma2001]

[LakerSD]

[BadGuy]

He taught me how to be relentless in pursuit of my goals and never give up. He was the reason i started watching/playing basketball (and sports in general). i'll never forget him.

[PRLakeShow]

Mamba Mentality

[Omar Little]

[forzaCOREA]

Kobe was my hero man. I was out in public yesterday with a few homies and my girl. We was eating lunch and I got the news... I couldn't help it, I just started balling man. I NEVER CRY.. let alone in public, but to me he was more than a basketball player. He inspired people to be the best verisons of themselves. To work harder than the person next to you. To never give up. To play through injuries. To shoot your shot. He also wasn't perfect, he had his lows, he missed more game winners than he made, airballs vs jazz, colorado incident, swept in playoffs, injury after injury, so he was more human to us, life isn't always easy man and when I had my (bleep) days I would look forward to catching the laker game. Thank you Kobe!! I still bump my tupac and i'm gonna still replay kobe clips til i'm grey and old.

[tgi_friyay]

Mind over matter.

[GoldenChild]

To be authentic towards yourself and focus on your passion through discipline and focus. To love with all your heart and never let life get the best of you. Exude positive energy and keep pushing with a smile.

His energy drew me in. I was always drawn to his energy and game. I remember writing him a poem before he won his first title with the Lakers. I wish I could remember what I wrote to him and if he received it, but it was meant to inspire him to lead the team to a win.

I will miss him, but I know his spirit is still very much alive in all of us. He may not be here in the physical world, but his soul lives on.

[bluehill]

Lots of good advice in this article about Kobe's meeting with the U.S. Olympic surf team.

On mental toughness

“Some guys say it’s the stuff you push through, even though it hurts — but that’s not actually how I view mental toughness. To me, being mentally tough means you can take your mind someplace else and concentrate on that other thing, to the point where the thing that was bothering you is no longer the focus. So, if you pull a hamstring, you’re out. Now, imagine that all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a raging fire erupts in your house. You’re going to get your ass up, sprint and get your kids, and get the f**k out of the house. Then after that, when everything settles down, you’re gonna be like, ‘(bleep), my hamstring hurts.’ But at the time the safety of your family was more important, therefore you didn’t think about the injury. And that’s what being mentally tough is.”

[yinoma2001]

Mitch Kupchak on Kobe: “They threw away the mold when Kobe Bryant was born...There will never be another like him.”
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From 2-10 to the Western Conference Finals

[KindCrippler2000]

Although I can't say he dramatically changed me in the same way many athletes and people have mentioned of late, watching him play at his absolute peak/best (81 points, 62 in 3 quarters, etc) got me through some rough times in high school and college. Not only was every game he played in a must watch, but he made life a lot more bearable for me. He gave me something to look forward to on those dark days when I was really ill and isolated from people.

[Goldenwest]

[Day]

I was a teenager during the Colorado ordeal. I remember my first thoughts being "no way he raped her" and then "so what if he cheated on his wife?". I didn't have much of a family growing up, parents divorced, no real core family other than my grandma. When I was a teenager I didn't have the best influences in friends, didn't care about much and was into a lot of stupid (bleep). In terms of girls/relationships over my teenage years it didn't mean much.

Watching Kobe go through that, watching how hard he worked to keep his marriage. How dedicated he became to his family, watching him have kids and the man he became taught me not the importance of hard work but the importance of family. It really did put a drive in me to make my own family, to be a better parent than mine ever were.

He wasn't the biggest, strongest, fastest, etc but how hard he worked not just to be in the NBA but to be the best possible player he could always resonated deeply with me as well, he led by example. He didn't just talk about working hard, he is the ultimate example. So many people talk about working hard and putting in work, no one did it or led by example the way he did.

Watching him mature over the years, how he dealt with things taught me a lot as well.

From the bottom of my heart; Thank you, Kobe.

[ReaListik]

Kobe’s never say die attitude. He could be up against the wall vs 10 players and still overcome it. I will sound dorky for saying this but when around 2000 2001 I was in HS and dragon ball z was huge at my school, so people kept saying Kobe was real life Goku constantly going beyond his limits. I thought it was funny at the time but Kobe really did constantly improve his game to beat opponents tirelessly.

I’ll never forget him patting Gentry on the back as of to say, “nice try” when Kobe beat the Suns in the WCF 2010.
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"We are the goodest." - Shaq ESPN interview