Nike recently teased fans with a cryptic Kobe Bryant message captioned “That’s Mamba”. Billboards of the same were displayed near Madison Square Garden and around the country displaying some iconic moments of Bryant when he exuded the Mamba Mentality. Nike later released a short clip featuring a young athlete shooting with her left hand while having a cast on the right depicting Kobe’s mental toughness. The ad campaign is for the upcoming launch of the “Black Mamba” Nike Kobe 4 Protro.

Bryant’s elite mentality played a huge role in his remarkable basketball career and life. Today, let us look at five of the most iconic moments when Kobe illustrated his revered Mamba Mentality. The 5x NBA champion has hit numerous clutch shots marking his mentality. However, we are not going to dive into this. Instead, we are going to look back at some of his other iconic moments on and off the court.

Kobe Bryant displayed his best version despite the beef

NBA legends Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal had one of the most complicated friendships in all of sports. The two started as great teammates and friends. But the relationship turned sour, and they often locked horns during their time with the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite this, O’Neal and Bryant led the Lakers to a three-peat.

The two were arguably the second-best duo behind Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. They had all the necessary tools to become the best duo ever if they continued their journey together. However, after a fallout, Shaq left and joined the Miami Heat. The relationship between the two was at an all-time low at this point.

O’Neal played a huge role in the Lakers’ three-peat. So, there was a notion that Kobe couldn’t win titles as the main man of the team. As Shaq won another title with the Heat and the Lakers struggled, this view took center stage and added more fuel to their rivalry.

Amidst this, both stars made the 2009 All-Star team which eventually became the last time the two legends played together. In his last All-Star appearance, Shaq showed out making 8 of 9 attempts. Bryant scored an impressive 27 points as well.

For their remarkable displays, both Kobe and O’Neal were crowned as MVPs. Despite their massive beef, Bryant allowed his former teammate to take home the trophy to give it to his son displaying the Mamba Mentality of being the best version of himself.

Bryant then went on to win two straight rings and proved to everyone his ability to lead the team. After his retirement, the Hall of Famers quashed their beef.

Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality in the NBA Finals

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers were heartbroken at the 2008 NBA Finals against arch-rivals Boston Celtics. In the next year, Bryant and the team were hungrier and reached the Finals yet again. This time, the Lakers were the heavy favorites against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. However, the Magic were no pushovers and had some heavy hitters on their roster. But Kobe was in the mood.

In the first game, #24 erupted for 40 points to lead his team to a comfortable 100-75 win. He scored a team-high 29 points in game 2 to clinch another win. With a 2-0 lead, many were convinced the series was over and the Lakers would run away with the championship. However, Kobe was just focused on the next game.

During the post-game interview, when asked if he was happy, he replied, “What’s there to be happy about? Job’s not finished. Job finished? I don’t think so.”

Kobe Bryant knew there was still work to be done. He was not ready to delve into the latest win and celebrate before finishing the job. The Lakers clinched the title 4-1 and Kobe was named the Finals MVP.

Kobe Bryant hit clutch free throws after Achilles tendon rupture

Kobe Bryant is known for playing through injuries. We have all seen Bryant playing with a face mask on, playing with broken fingers, and so on. Notably, the recent “That’s Mamba” campaign from Nike had an image of Kobe getting ready to shoot with his off-hand while he had a brace on his right hand due to a fracture. That iconic image sums up his mentality to never let injuries be an excuse. However, if there was one moment that illustrates Kobe’s mental strength to overcome adversity, it has to be him hitting free throws after tearing his Achilles tendon.

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In 2013, the Lakers were pushing to clinch the 8th seed in the Western Conference. As the team struggled with injuries to multiple players, Bryant at 34 shouldered the responsibility and averaged over 45 minutes per game in his last seven games. In the team’s 79th game that year, he erupted for 47 points in 48 minutes in the win against the Portland Trail Blazers to keep the playoff hopes up.

In the next game against the Golden State Warriors, Bryant was on a mission. He had 34 points in 44 minutes. But things took an unfortunate turn when he ruptured his Achilles tendon, which is considered a career-ending injury. Kobe knew this. Considering his age of 35, many thought he would have to retire. Also, it is said to be one of the most painful sports injuries.

Despite the excruciating pain and the doubts about his future lingering in his mind, Bryant limped to the free-throw line to take his shots. He could have easily left the game and allowed a teammate to attempt the free throws. But that is not Kobe. He made both shots from the charity stripe and headed to the locker room. The image of Bryant hitting those shots after the serious injury was a testament to his toughness.

However, he did not stop there. After the game, the Hall of Famer was very emotional as doubts about his future grew. But he defied all odds and came back. Once again, he displayed the Mamba Mentality and inspired fans around the world to never let an unfortunate event dictate their fate. This has helped stars like Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson come back stronger from their injuries.

The “Mamba out” moment

After the Achilles tendon injury, Kobe Bryant only played 6 and 35 games in the next two seasons, respectively. However, in the 2015-16 season, he played 66 games when he was 37 years old. He announced that it would be his last season in the NBA. Every team in the league gave him the warmest welcome throughout the season and he had incredible games. He relived some iconic moments from his career playing away from home.

However, none bigger than his final game ever and it happened to be at the Staples Center. Bryant was averaging 17 points per game that season as per Basketball Reference. That’s 10 points less than his 27-point average during the season when he injured his Achilles. However, the 18x All-Star was not ready to sign off without a bang.

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In his final game against the Utah Jazz, Bryant erupted for 60 points in front of a sold-out crowd that wanted to witness him for one last time.

Bryant was unstoppable and proved to everyone that he still got it. After the historic game, Kobe gave an emotional speech and concluded it with the iconic “Mamba out!”. It was the storybook ending to a legendary career.

Kobe Bryant’s desire to pursue his passion

Kobe Bryant lived most of his life honing his basketball skills. He worked harder than most of his peers which helped him carve out a Hall of Fame career. So, he was almost automatic on the court and his success was something many predicted. However, the same cannot be said about his impressive success in entertainment.

Bryant was much more than just a basketball player. One of his biggest traits and passion was storytelling. But not many knew about it. After his retirement in 2016, the Lakers legend started dedicating his time to this skill. Bryant was a firm believer in hard work and that applied to everything he did.

His hard work and dedication to his craft once again paid off when he became the first former athlete to win an Oscar award. Kobe won the award for Best Animated Short Film for the film Dear Basketball in 2017 with Glen Keane.

He advises his fans to pursue their dreams irrespective of their age or any other factor. After winning everything in the world of basketball, Bryant did not have anything to prove to the world. He had more to lose with this pursuit. However, he lived by his advice and won the Academy Award with his impeccable work ethic once again inspiring everyone with his Mamba Mentality. And his aura certainly transcends beyond basketball.

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