With just two games left in his legendary career, Kobe Bryant is the focus of most media outlets. All season during Kobe’s farewell tour, players have expressed their love for Kobe and how he was a game-changer for the NBA.
Tonight the Lakers face Kevin Durant and his Thunder teammates and just like most other stars, Durant has a Kobe story that he replays in his mind even today. According to CBSSports.com, Kobe’s old school work ethic is what stands out most to Durant. Durant recalls a time after his rookie season when he and Kobe crossed paths while training for U.S. Olympics.
“Jeff Green and I are only ones on the first bus. Right as we’re about to leave, we see Kobe getting on walking by himself when everybody else took the day off,” Durant said. “He worked out on one end. We worked out on the other.”
Durant watched Kobe Bryant make at least 50 shots in seven different spots behind the 3-point line. After seeing this Durant and Green told each other “He’s the best player in the league.”
“He took a bus to a high school gym to put some work in. He’s old school. That’s exactly what I wanted to be like.”
“I’m in my ninth year and after games sometimes, I’m hurting a little bit. For him to do that for 20 years at a high level, that shows how much he works. Once you become efficient and developed that in between game, that’s what helped him last for so long. He mastered every level of the game from paint shots to mid-range [jumpers] and 3’s. That made him be a player that is able to play 20 years in this league. That’s the example he set. All players will love to play at that level for so long.”
This is exactly what I expect to hear about Kobe, he was able to be one of the greatest due to his hard work behind the scene.