“Nobody liked Kobe, a menace in the locker room” Gilbert Arenas reveals how initially no one liked Kobe Bryant and his Mamba Mentality

“Nobody liked Kobe, a menace in the locker room” Gilbert Arenas reveals how initially no one liked Kobe Bryant and his Mamba Mentality

Gilbert Arena reveals the truth about Kobe Bryant's Mamba Mentality

“Kobe !”, something all of us shout with glee as we shoot even a paper ball into the dustbin from long range. Kobe Bryant has been one of the most influential and hardworking basketball players in the history of the game, and not a day goes by when we tear up remembering his greatness, on the court and off it. His eternal drive and commitment to the game remains unparalleled, which we today refer to as ‘Mamba Mentality’. However, his mentality was not very popular among his teammates back when he was still a young gun in the league, as Gilbert Arenas revealed recemmtly.

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Bryant is considered to be one of the greatest LA Lakers in franchise history. He brought his Mamba Mentality every time he stepped on the court, and that is what made him special. Having played for 20 seasons, Bryant achieved everything because of his undying passion and love for the game.

Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant

When Kobe Bryant got drafted in 1996, he wanted to make a name for himself, and the best way to do that was to take the one big Bull in the league. He went after MJ, and ended up doing something no one had done before. Bryant formed a bond with Jordan and became his mentee. Kobe studied MJ’s game and adopted every aspect of the same. His famous, ‘Mamba Mentality’, is inspired by Jordan Himself.

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“That an arrogant dude” – Gilbert Arenas on Kobe Bryant’s early years in the NBA

Gilbert Arenas
Gilbert Arenas

We hear many stories about Kobe and his brilliance, from Pau Gasol to Shaquille O’ Neal and even Iman Shumpert have narrated excellant stories about Kobe’s fierce nature of play. Gilbert Arenas, the former 3-time All Star , has spoken about on ‘I Am Athlete’, asserting that while it does sound impressive, players that played with Bryant loathed the Mamba Mentality.

“When we’re in sports and we’re on teams, our natural instinct is to fit in, to be liked. Greatness doesn’t want to be liked. Nobody liked Kobe Bryant. Like it’s funny when everybody had a Mamba Mentality. Everybody hated the Mamba Mentality. Y’all hated that he thought selfish like that. Now it’s okay” Gilbert stated, to which the interviewer , Shady McCoy agreed –

“That is true. He started being cool his last year. He started being cool to everybody, smiling. I’ve never seen Kobe smile.“

“Yeah because he was winding down. The competitiveness is out. You know, like, slapping players trying to get a reaction to see who’s going to fold, who’s not. Telling everybody ‘Take my shoes off, you ain’t balling like that. Take them off.’ That’s what greatness does. Greatness wants to challenge everybody. So nobody really likes it when it’s in the locker room. That’s that arrogant dude.” Gilbert explained how Kobe’s challenging nature was not liked by everyone because none of them could keep up with his desire to win .

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Gilbert Arenas is infamous for stating controversial takes on some topics, but he might be right here. It’s difficult for teammates who are not on the same level mentally as the greatest ever to deal with the constant expectation and pressure put on them. Kobe will always be remembered for his unshakable will to win and his elite ability to make it happen, but there will also always likely be moments that some of his teammates look back at with some resentment as well. He even discussed how Kobe would’ve traded Shaq, when he slapped him across the face, among other things.

Shaq O'Neal and Kobe Bryant
Shaq O’Neal and Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant’s tragic helicopter crash in January 2020, still haunts the entirety of the NBA community, as we were left numb with the news of him passing away. At the end of the day, Kobe’s legacy will shine the brightest among most of the athletes of his generation. What he accomplished transcended generations as he set the benchmark for what it means to work hard to become the best version of yourself. You will always be remembered Kobe, Mamba Out !

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