The Mamba Mentality: How I Play

Bryant’s legacy with the Los Angeles Lakers is exceptional and significantly frames the book’s trajectory and success story. There is only one other player in the history of professional basketball (Dirk Nowitzki) who spent more time playing for one team than Bryant, and his record of 21 years exceeds Bryant’s by only one year. For perspective, there are only 20 players in the history of the NBA who have spent more than 15 years with one basketball team. Bryant remains the longest-tenured player in the history of the Lakers franchise, and he won five NBA championship rings while he was playing for the team, accounting for a third of their overall titles since their founding in 1947. He scored a total of 33,643 points for the Lakers over the course of his tenure, which places him fourth in all-time scoring as of December 2022, and second in most points scored in a single NBA game at 81. The history of the Lakers is referred to in periods of time, including the famous “Showtime Lakers” of 1979-1991, mentioned in the text. The period from 1996-2004 is called “The O’Neal-Bryant Dynasty,” named for the leadership of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant during that time, and 2004-2016 is known as the “Kobe Bryant Era.” Bryant was drafted in 1996, so for a rookie to inaugurate a defining period in his team’s history by sharing its name with one of the sport’s greatest athletes, and then to go on to singularly define his own era after O’Neal’s retirement, speaks to the impact that Bryant had on the team’s success.

As the son of a professional basketball player, Bryant developed a love for basketball early in his life; he dreamed of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, so when he was drafted at 17 years old he was familiar with the franchise history, and he was excited to embrace what for him felt like a dream come true. Purchased by Dr. Jerry Buss, PhD, in 1979, the team had achieved great success in the 1980s, but they had not won a championship in over a decade when Bryant was drafted. His coaches, and Phil Jackson in particular, remember being put off by Bryant’s initial assertion that he wanted to become the highest-scoring player of all time. Jackson was concerned with winning basketball games, and worried that Bryant’s individualism and focus on personal goals were not going to be beneficial for the team. Bryant’s talent was appreciated immediately, an observation made by both his coaches, sports commentators, and longtime fans of the sport. The impression that most had when Bryant joined the team in the late 1990s was that if he could cooperate with O’Neal, the pair could be unstoppable and lead the Lakers to a championship. Bryant, however, was considered by many to be isolationist and arrogant, refusing to acknowledge that he was on “Shaq’s Team” when asked by reporters. He was immediately popular among the fans, who elected him to play in the All-Star Game in 1999. Among his fellow players, he was considered a “showboat” for his tendency to hog the ball, along with his serious focus and seeming reluctance to socialize and bond with his teammates. Other observers, however, those in the media and supporting roles, remarked upon how respectful and courteous he was, especially given his youth in comparison to those of his teammates. The tension between O’Neal and Bryant, and other Lakers who were frustrated by Bryant’s desire for the spotlight, appeared to dissolve overnight during one particular game against the Blazers in game seven of the 2000 NBA playoffs. Bryant took on a support role respective to O’Neal, and they became a nearly unstoppable pair, going on to win championships together.

In 2003, tensions flared again when Bryant was accused of sexual assault and O’Neal demonstrated a marked change in his attitude toward his teammate. Animosity between O’Neal, Bryant, and Jackson had reached a fever pitch, and Bryant was contemplating becoming a free agent and hinting that he might be interested in pursuing opportunities with other teams. Jackson was ousted as coach, and O’Neal asked to be traded, ending up on the Miami Heat. Bryant hoped to win a championship without O’Neal, in order to prove that he could lead a team to victory himself, but instead O’Neal and the Heat were victorious. After only one year, Phil Jackson returned to coaching the Lakers, and when he did, he and Bryant enjoyed a much-improved relationship based on collaboration and mutual respect. Without O’Neal, Bryant assumed a leadership role over the team and came to define what the public thought of when they heard the name of the Los Angeles Lakers. The team seemed to flounder for a few years despite Bryant’s effort to rally his teammates, but when the team drafted Pau Gasol their prospects improved. Gasol developed an immediate connection with Bryant, the two working almost seamlessly together in synchronicity, placing the Lakers back in contention for more championship wins. After losing to the Celtics in 2008, the Lakers’ famed rivals, Bryant returned to the court more focused and determined than ever, and they prevailed over the Celtics to win the 2009 NBA Championship.

Over time, Bryant’s attitude seemed to change markedly, as he professed his willingness to be coached, to improve his game, and to admit his mistakes. However, in 2013, the team’s owner Dr. Buss died, and his children inherited the franchise. That same year Bryant tore his Achilles tendon, so he was out of game play for several weeks. Due to Bryant’s absence, combined with the contentious relationships between Buss’s children and their mismanagement of the Lakers franchise, the team experienced their worst season in more than 50 years. Bryant announced that he would retire after the 2015-2016 season. His last game, during which he scored 60 points, was an emotional, storybook ending to his remarkable career. With Bryant no longer leading the team, Jeanie Buss, now controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers, with six championship rings to her name, remarked in a 2022 interview, “[W]e lost our identity.”