“In the fourth quarter, he told me that’s it you had a great game” Iman Shumpert reveals an astonishing story highlighting how Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality affected his game
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Kobe Bryant
During his time in the league, Kobe Bryant became a very dominant force to overtake but found it hard to do so. Kobe had never shown any sign of weakness in his game which made the test much harder to ace. The Black Mamba holds a special place in the hearts of the young ones at the gym. Many young talents and prospects have tried training him in hopes of earning inside intel on how the game works and how it must be played.
It late great Los Angeles Laker who played with the franchise the entire time including their worst moments. Kobe was a firm believer pays the bills, and he would always make sure to stay above everyone around him. He was known for the never-quit attitude that he had. Kobe never started his career in the NBA in the best conditions. He was benched for the majority of his first season. Kobe did not give up and trained hard to be better than the rest of his teammates. This mentality inspires a lot of young children and players of today.
Iman Shumpert recalls a story when Kobe Bryant chose to dominate
Iman Shumpert, a former veteran of the NBA who played for the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and famously known for his presence with the championship team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, had opened up about an incident that took place during a matchup with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. It is safe to say that Shumpert’s career would change ever since.
“I guarded Kobe in the garden. I can’t remember how much he had, but I know I had multiple steals against him. All I’m thinking of is, I stole the ball from Kobe, I stripped Kobe before he was gonna take a shot. I drove by Kobe and got a dunk.” He continues explaining the scenario with the response he had received from Kobe after he tried outplaying him. He said, “Kobe said,” You had a great game”. I looked at the clock like, there are 12 minutes what you talkin’ bout? I’m locked in. The man came down, he came shot fake, threw it off the glass, caught it, threw it to the corner. “I’m like “bro what you on?”
Kobe Bryant played through his injuries with the mindset of winning
When Iman Shumpert entered the league in 2011, Kobe was in his 15th year in the league as he was averaging 27.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. By this point of his career, Kobe started to age and injuries were a big concern for the Lakers. They overplayed the aging veteran which put a lot of strain on his body. Kobe suffered a hyperextended in 2013 but managed to fight through the pain. Later in the game, Kobe was fouled after which he felt a pop. This resulted in a ruptured Achilles.
It was only six games into the season and his teammates were hopeful of winning a championship that season. As fate would have it Kobe Bryant returned almost over a season and a half later. He averaged 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in the 35 games he played during the 2014-15 season. The following season would, unfortunately, be his last in the NBA. The NBA Hall of Famer would score 60 points in his final game inclusive of a game-winning shot. He managed to outscore the entire opposition team during the fourth quarter as well.
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Rakibul John Rodgers
(1258 Articles Published)