Blink:

Back on this day January 26^th, 2020, Black Mamba better known as Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, died in a helicopter crash. He created his alter ego nickname to share his personal philosophy the “Mamba Mentality.”

Read On:                          

What is the “Mamba Mentality” philosophy? An attitude to work at getting better every day at what you are doing, to become the best version of yourself. It is a constant quest since we all have dreams which sometimes can be scary. Especially if you put your heart and soul into them. What if you fail? According to Black Mamba, failure is not an option. Become fearless, put yourself out there.

To rise to the challenge and be his best, Kobe turned his obsession into a ritual. He would get up every morning, go to the gym to work out at 4 AM while his teammates slept, which included watching hours of video of his opponents to improve his game. By the time his teammates showed up to the gym (late morning), he had already put in a full day’s work.

The more I study Black Mamba footage, I realized he had a competitive edge (a.k.a. killer’s instinct) matched by only a handful of sports icons I have watched in my lifetime. I believe in elements of the Mamba Mentality – especially the mindset to become the best version of yourself. Definitely a part of Kobe’s legacy.

Needless to say Kobe was intense. At 35, despite all his conditioning he suffered a serious injury (ruptured Achilles tendon). He was confronted with the possibility of calling it quits and hanging up his sneakers. Not Kobe, that night on social media he posted:

“If you see me in a fight with a bear, Pray for the bear.”

Opinions welcomed!