Late Kobe Bryant’s legacy transcended basketball. His ‘Mamba Mentality’ philosophy in life and his commitment towards his professional NBA career is what made his legacy so great. His mindset to “leave it all out on the court” and “hard work always beats talent” has inspired many fans but one fan managed to inspire the great Kobe Bryant himself.

In an interview with famous TV show host Leigh Ellis, the fan opens up about her incredibly inspiring journey

The Legend of the ‘One Armed Mamba’

Kat Tan is a Filippino basketball legend. She’s famously known as the ‘One Armed Mamba’ because she is a ‘cold-blooded killer’ on the court. In the interview, Leigh Ellis asks the Filippino legend, “There is a lot of people who have ‘Mamba’ nicknames like the ‘Red Mamba’, the ‘White Mamba’, people have that. So how did that happen? Tell us about that.”

The Filippino basketball legend replied, “The reason why I only have one arm is not because it is an in-born thing. I was born normally. I had two arms. But when I was 10 years-old, I had an accident.”

The ‘One Armed Mamba’ continues, “I was with five of my classmates, including me there were six of us. We went on a mini rollercoaster ride in a carnival when unfortunately, the seat of the ride we were on got derailed form the ride. So, the six of us were thrown out and I landed on the walk way when the ride was still moving. So, it instantly cut off my left arm.”

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However, Kat Tan never gave up her love for basketball. She continued to play against all the odds and became a renowned basketball legend in the Philippines. Her incredible journey inspired millions of people around the world, one of them was Kobe Bryant.

Kobe’s Beautiful Bond with Kat Tan

Kat Tan’s tragic accident happened the same year Kobe got drafted into the NBA. She mentioned in an earlier interview that during her recovery, she watched as many Laker games as she could with her father. She instantly became a fan of the Lakers legend who inspired her to continue loving the game of basketball.

A year later, Kat Tan had the rare opportunity to meet Kobe Bryant for the first time when he visited the Philippines. They met again in 2011. They met one more time in 2016 when Kat was invited to participate in one of Bryant’s basketball camps.

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Late Kobe Bryant drew major inspiration from her incredible journey. He had mentioned in an earlier interview that she inspires him to push himself even more, “Because I know she’s pulling inspiration from what I am doing.“