The Mamba Mentality: How I Play

The next section, “Craft,” jumps directly into game analysis. Bryant examines his own techniques and evolution as a player through game photos of pivotal moments in his career. He first begins with the centering of his body when playing defense, showing how his off-balance posture created a weaker defense. Bryant also examines particular shots and how they functioned in his game—a dunk that was used to send a message to the opposing team, or a difficult clutch shot and his mental process in hitting it at the end of the game. In “Footwork is about efficiency,” Bryant discusses the importance of footwork, and how the European approaches allowed him to refine his pivoting before he learned any dribbling tricks. He considers his own willingness to work on any imbalance in his body—such as developing greater abilities in his left hand—and to make physical contact with other players during the game.

Bryant also examines his love for the game, and how that passion and fun drove him to be a better player among the greats. Dennis Rodman and Michael Jordan appear as masters of the craft, and Bryant describes the way they might get an illegal hold on him in a way that was invisible to the cameras. He acknowledges Shaquille O’Neal’s dominance, and he describes how they would work together as a team with Bryant drawing attention and then making a pass to O’Neal for the basket. The success of that partnership sometimes complicated the dynamic of the Lakers, so Bryant discusses how the two of them would work to keep their teammates engaged and motivated. This dynamic changed when O’Neal joined a different team and the two were suddenly rivals—Bryant describes his methods of circumventing O’Neal or undermining his certainty on the court.

Bryant then goes on to describe the appearance of new players over time and the lack of “fundamentals” in new players. He remembers when he learned from Gary Payton how to better get around screens by making himself “smaller.” Bryant then goes on to examine his dynamic with Kevin Garnett, who was gifted at defense and posed a serious challenge. He notes that Garnett never “talked crap” with Bryant, as the former knew it would only make Bryant want to level up on his attack.

The next sections consider Bryant’s trajectory toward the championship. After struggling in his first years in the NBA, Bryant focused on building his strength through weightlifting, and he became determined to claim what he felt was his destiny. He describes a drive in himself that was still present, even after winning championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Bryant then segues to his challenge when playing against Allen Iverson on the court, who was shorter than Bryant but agile. He describes his efforts to undermine him and frustrate his attempts in a way specific to Iverson’s—and the Sixers’—strategies. He also recalls a moment when Ruben Patterson was billing himself as a “Bryant stopper” in order to get more money from his contract; Bryant claims many teams hired guys like that, to stop him, and he enjoyed the challenge.

Bryant examines the role of dunking in a game, saying it’s a psychological tool to both humiliate the opponent and inspire your teammates. With a photo, he also shows how he countered a move to dominate from Dikembe Mutombo (who pulled on his shirt as he dunked) by positioning his arm as a barrier to send a counter message of domination. He encountered similar techniques with Hakeem Olajuwon and speaks to the challenge of playing intelligent defenders. In the next section, he examines how Vince Carter brought out the best in his game by taking the spotlight, and how playing Tim Duncan, and the San Antonio Spurs, made him realize the nature of the defense and use it to his advantage. Bryant continues, looking at how players like Tracy McGrady posed a challenge and how he was able to undermine those skills, all with the intention of being the best.

Bryant jumps ahead to 2008 and 2010 when the Lakers confronted their rivals, the Boston Celtics, in the post season. By looking at his interactions with various players on the Celtics, Bryant looks at how their skills were so challenging for him, and how he was able to diffuse some of their advances through his defensive tactics, from outsmarting someone with a quick hand or boxing out a large player. Bryant uses this approach to examine many of his colleagues’ strengths (and how he worked to undermine them), from Bruce Bowen’s chopping hands to Carmelo Anthony’s physicality and his superior right attacks. He speaks to Dwayne Wade’s swiftness, and how Kevin Durant worked hard to move from being a mediocre player to a dominant threat. James Harden also posed a significant threat, which Bryant claims was underappreciated by the Thunder.

Bryant briefly returns to the subject of injury and how he worked through pain, but he had to steel himself mentally against getting down about a real injury. He segues to his experience against LeBron James, who is larger and stronger than him, but Bryant shows how that knowledge could be used to his advantage. With a reflection on Russell Westbrook, Bryant shows how the player evolved over time and learned from his peers, still seeking to learn even after establishing himself. Bryant also reflects on a few of his teammates on the Lakers, including Metta World Peace, with whom he teamed up to guard opponents. He also considers his deep friendship with Pau Gasol, who he describes as intelligent, detail-oriented, and driven to win.

Taking a broader view, Bryant reflects on how winning Championships remained his highest priority, while losing was an equal drive, with both motivating him to push himself to greatness. In a section with a particularly confident tone, Bryant speaks to the reader as if they are his opponent, describing how there were no holes in his game, and he modified his style to evade anyone undermining his techniques or anticipating his moves. Bryant concludes by remembering his mentality during his last game, losing himself in the sport he played nearly every day for 20 years, and how basketball was a way for him to experience “everything” life has to offer.