Everyone has their favorite Kobe story. The late great Kobe Bryant has left behind a legacy that will forever be remembered. Recently Gordon Hayward, who had a solid relationship with the Black Mamba shared another story involving the late legend. Hayward recalled the time when Kobe invited him for a practice.

The ex-Boston Celtics star said that Kobe asked him to meet him at the gym at 7 in the morning. Knowing that ‘Mamba’ is strict about his time, Hayward reached the gym before the said time. Unaware of what Kobe might make him do, Hayward said that he was preparing himself for a tireless session.

When Kobe Bryant tested Gordon Hayward’s commitment

He said, “I don’t know what’s about to happen but I know that Kobe’s crazy. And I’m thinking he could have me running around this gym, I gotta be fueled.” So to be fully prepared, he woke up at 5:30 and went on to have “a good a** breakfast”. Hayward and his assistant went to the gym by 6:15 and to their surprise, Kobe wasn’t there. The Mamba didn’t show up till 7:30 so he thought it’d be good to ask him if he’s in the right gym or not.

He said, “He’s[Kobe] like Oh! You’re there. Like texted back immediately. Word. I’ll be there in 5 minutes”. Then Kobe showed up to the gym and what he did next was the first shocker of the day for Hayward. He said, “He walks in. Throws his keys off to the bleachers. Doesn’t say anything like…My bad I’m late or Yo what’s up man? How you doing?”. Kobe immediately went to practice and they worked out for over 2 hours together.

Hayward said that as soon as they were done with practice, Kobe immediately switched off, picked up his keys, and said that he’ll meet him again tomorrow at 5:45 at a different spot. “So the next day we showed up at the spot at 5:45, Kobe was there before us”, he added. After that day’s workout, Kobe stayed for another 30 minutes. Hayward said that this was pretty much the routine for the next two days.

Read More: Five Moments When Kobe Bryant Exuded Mamba Mentality

The 33-year-old said that Kobe did all that just to test him. He said, “I think the whole thing was just him like testing me, like, who is this?…Does he wanna work?”. Hayward cleared the Kobe test and from there he earned himself a mentor like no other. He said, “From then on…He was kinda like in my corner. And he taught me, more than anything, it’s just the mentality”. Hayward said that whatever he learned from Kobe, helped take his game to another level.

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