“It doesn’t matter how hard you work, I’m willing to work harder than you,” Kobe Bryant had once told Jay Williams. And he lived by it, day in and day out, mapping out all these rigorous routines, enough to pen Mamba Mentality and enough to inspire generations to come. A 6x NBA All-Star got to witness it firsthand and has been in awe ever since.

Blake Griffin was part of the 2012 Summer Olympics and during one of the training camps saw Kobe practicing. A younger group of NBA up-and-comers, the USA Select Team, was called upon. Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Gordon Hayward, Klay Thompson, and 9 other players would train against the 2012 USA Basketball Men’s National Team. As per Griffin, during one of the sessions, George and Hayward were scoring buckets after buckets against Kobe Bryant.

The 2011 Rookie of the Year did not say a word to the Lakers legend, but the next morning noticed him working out early. That was not the shocking part, as per Griffin. Kobe Bryant was already sweating, and not just him, but his security detail and the trainer. Again not asking Kobe, but his trainer, about the whereabouts of working out.

Kobe would ask his trainer for a 60-mile bike ride before the sun would come up. “I was like oh that’s okay, that’s why he doesn’t look as good in practice because he doesn’t give a sh** about this practice. He’s like building his mental fitness level up to be able to go,” Griffin said on the Mike Jackson Podcast.

So Griffin discovered that the 5x NBA Champion’s main practice was not on the court, but the training method leading up to it. “The practice or the goal right now isn’t as important as the goal long term and he was a master at that,” Griffin conveys.

Kobe used to put in 4 sessions of work out, for he wanted to be distinguished from the rest of his peers. Sure, waking up at 10 gave you enough time to workout, recover, and workout again. But waking up before the sun was out, gave you a chance to double that, and the 5x champion lived by it.

“by year five or six [years] you will be so far ahead that you will be among the best in the world,” he iterated. This, again, was a long term view for Kobe — knowing that if he kept up with it, he could retire at peace, because he had given it his all.

With a closer seat to this mentality was Kobe’s trainer himself.

Kobe Bryant’s work ethic revealed by his trainer

In 2007, Kobe Bryant was facing a nagging knee injury issue, and he called up Michael Jordan. Upon asking for a reference, Jordan referred Tim Grover, who had trained the Bulls legend before. Grover spoke to GQ in 2019 and explained the long-term goal for Kobe Bryant was to overtake MJ with 7 rings.

In pursuit of greatness, Kobe would tolerate any level of pain. Once, right when the Olympics were coming up, he asked Grover to implement a cycling plan in his workout. He said that the bike rides would be at 4.30 in the morning. “He wants to be out there before the sun comes up, and then he wants to take a break, and ride back when the sun’s at its peak. ‘If I’m going to do this, I wanna be in the most uncomfortable temperature and environment out there.’ If you’re gonna ride, you’re gonna ride.”

Grover continued that a few players had asked to accompany them, but seeing the brutal nature of the workout, he refused them.”A couple of players had heard about this and the next day they were like we wanna go with you. I was like ‘No you don’t. You do not want to go.'”

Unfortunately for Blake Griffin, he couldn’t train with Kobe Bryant. At the camp, Griffin suffered a minor knee injury and was out of the Olympics squad.

“Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.”