While Kobe Bryant recently stated rather emphatically that he will never return to playing the game of basketball, anyone who is remotely familiar with the Black Mamba should have known that he would find himself in someone’s gym at some point.
It’s quite common to see former players working with current NBA guys in the offseason. Hakeem Olajuwon famously worked with Dwight Howard, Amar’e Stoudemire, LeBron James as well as Kobe himself and has been quoted in an article from cbssports.com as saying “I’ve worked with a lot of players, but the one who really capitalized on it the most is Kobe Bryant.” So it should be no surprise that Bryant has seemingly taken on the mantle of resident trainer.
Some of his most famous understudies have been Kyrie Irving and more recently, Jayson Tatum. Kyrie attributed his game winning shot that capped off the Cavs historic comeback in the 2016 Finals to having “Mamba Mentality” and after Tatum’s more than impressive rookie campaign and postseason run, him having the opportunity to work up close and personal with Kobe will only improve his game. Tatum said he watched Bryant’s “Details” segment on him about 25 times so I’m sure he soaked up everything Bryant had to offer in their live session.
Moving further into this postseason, it appears that Mr. Vino has acquired two more pupils: Giannis “Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo and overseas rookie sensation, Luka Doncic. Giannis has already been on a steady incline since entering the league and Doncic will undoubtedly benefit from the tutelage of one of the most mentally aggressive and maniacally competitive players in the history of the NBA. Antetokounmpo is a physical marvel and if he is armed with a skill set anywhere near as rounded as Kobe’s he will be even more of a nightmare for the rest of the league. And Doncic, who like Kobe spent his formative years learning the game abroad, will get a jump on his counterparts by working closely with Bryant. I am eager to see the manifestation of these young guys working with Kobe in the upcoming season. Click the next page to see Kobe in the gym with Giannis and Doncic.