Kobe Bryant quotes

Kobe Bryant was an iconic basketball player who transcended generations with his unparalleled skills and unwavering dedication to the game. As a Los Angeles Laker for 20 seasons, he achieved numerous accolades, including five NBA championships and two Olympic gold medals. Renowned for his unrelenting work ethic and competitive spirit, Kobe's name became synonymous with greatness. Despite retiring in 2016, he continued to inspire millions through his passion for storytelling and philanthropy. Tragically, his untimely passing in 2020 shocked the world, leaving a void in the basketball community. Kobe will forever be remembered as a legend whose impact transcended basketball courts, leaving an indelible mark on fans worldwide.

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There's been a lot of talk of me being a one-man show but that's simply not the case. We win games when I score 40 points and we've won when I score 10.

- Kobe Bryant

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.

- Kobe Bryant

These young guys are playing checkers. I'm out there playing chess.

- Kobe Bryant

I dont want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.

- Kobe Bryant

I'm chasing perfection.

- Kobe Bryant

Everyting negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity for me to rise.

- Kobe Bryant

A lot of leaders fail because they don’t have the bravery to touch that nerve or strike that chord.

- Kobe Bryant

Dedication sees dreams come true.

- Kobe Bryant

Everything negative -- pressure, challenges -- is all an opportunity for me to rise.

- Kobe Bryant

Haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones.

- Kobe Bryant

I can't relate to lazy people. We don't speak the same language. I don't understand you. I don't want to understand you.

- Kobe Bryant

I create my own path. It was straight and narrow. I looked at it this way: you were either in my way, or out of it.

- Kobe Bryant

I don’t want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.

- Kobe Bryant

I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.

- Kobe Bryant

I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I'm like, 'My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don't have it. I just want to chill.' We all have self-doubt. You don't deny it, but you also don't capitulate to it. You embrace it.

- Kobe Bryant

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.

- Kobe Bryant

I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. No matter what the injury -- unless it's completely debilitating -- I'm going to be the same player I've always been. I'll figure it out. I'll make some tweaks, some changes, but I'm still coming.

- Kobe Bryant

I've played with IVs before, during and after games. I've played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball. I don't miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn't that serious in the first place.

- Kobe Bryant

I’m extremely willful to win, and I respond to challenges. It’s not a challenge to me to win the scoring title, because I know I can.

- Kobe Bryant

I’m reflective only in the sense that I learn to move forward. I reflect with a purpose.

- Kobe Bryant

I’ve shot too much from the time I was 8 years old. But ‘too much’ is a matter of perspective. Some people thought Mozart had too many notes in his compositions. Let me put it this way: I entertain people who say I shoot too much. I find it very interesting. Going back to Mozart, he responded to critics by saying there were neither too many notes or too few. There were as many as necessary.

- Kobe Bryant

If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.

- Kobe Bryant

It’s the one thing you can control. You are responsible for how people remember you—or don’t. So don’t take it lightly.

- Kobe Bryant

Leadership is lonely… I’m not going to be afraid of confrontation to get us to where we need to go. There’s a big misconception where people thinking winning or success comes from everybody putting their arms around each other and singing kumbaya and patting them on the back when they mess up, and that’s just not reality. If you are going to be a leader, you are not going to please everybody. You have to hold people accountable. Even if you have that moment of being uncomfortable.

- Kobe Bryant

My brain... it cannot process failure. It will not process failure. Because if I sit there and have to face myself and tell myself, ‘You’re a failure’. I think that’s almost worse than death.

- Kobe Bryant

My parents are my backbone. Still are. They’re the only group that will support you if you score zero or you score 40.

- Kobe Bryant

Once you know what failure feels like, determination chases success.

- Kobe Bryant

Pain doesn’t tell you when you ought to stop. Pain is the little voice in your head that tries to hold you back because it knows if you continue you will change.

- Kobe Bryant

The beauty in being blessed with talent is rising above doubters to create a beautiful moment.

- Kobe Bryant

The important thing is that your teammates have to know you're pulling for them and you really want them to be successful.

- Kobe Bryant