When it came to basketball, Kobe Bryant saw only one thing—talent. It didn’t matter if you were a man or a woman—if you had game; you were a hooper. For ‘Black Mamba,’ equality wasn’t just a belief, but the foundation of how he approached the sport. And when it came to coaching female athletes, he didn’t hold back. As a proud “Girl Dad,” Kobe knew the key to growth wasn’t leniency—it was treating everyone as equals on the court. And that mindset lives on in the 3×3 women’s basketball league, Unrivaled, and in coaches like Mist BC’s Phil Handy.

For those unaware, Handy had been the assistant coach in NBA for more than a decade and even won 3 championships during his stint with Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors and LA Lakers. More recently, he took up the charge of Mist BC, which is the 3×3 women’s basketball team in the Unrivaled league.

His first exposure to coaching women athletes, however, came during his time with Kobe Bryant. Appearing on Podcast with P, Handy opened up about how Black Mamba influenced his coaching philosophy.

“I started working with women about six or seven years ago. Slowly, I began training young ladies, and Kobe was a huge part of that,” Handy shared, recalling his time with Kobe, Gianna, and her club team, The Mambas. Watching Kobe mentor those girls was a game-changer for the Mist BC coach. “Kobe didn’t treat them like girls; he treated them like athletes, first and foremost,” Handy explained. And Handy’s first session with The Mambas turned to be a crash course for him in Kobe Bryant’s mindset.

“Kobe called me and said, ‘Listen, when you come to the gym, don’t hold back. Coach them like you coach us. They’re athletes, and they need to be pushed just as hard.'” That moment stuck with Handy.

It wasn’t about gender—it was about respect for the game. Many thought the 5x NBA champ’s involvement with women’s basketball scenario was purely because Gigi would one day play in the WNBA. The truth, however, could not have been far from this.

Kobe Bryant determined to grow the NBA’s sister league in value and appreciation. No wonder that at the unveiling of Black Mamba’s statue, WNBA legend Candace Parker admitted that Bryant already uplifted the women’s league from what it was.

Kobe Bryant’s one statement that left a WNBA champ stunned

Sometimes, it’s the smallest moments that leave the deepest impact. For Sabrina Ionescu, one such moment came during her very first interaction with the legendary Black Mamba. Speaking on the All the Smoke podcast, the Liberty star recalled a USC game where Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and some of her teammates came to watch her play.

That game marked the beginning of an incredible bond. “Ever since then, it was like, workouts, you know, I helped coach, you know, Gigi’s team with him… We just clicked,” Sabrina shared, her fondness for those memories shining through. But it wasn’t just the time spent together that stayed with her—it was something Kobe said.

“Real sharpness comes without effort,” he told her.

Sabrina vividly remembers the moment. They were walking out of the gym, Kobe carrying a small bag of basketballs on his back. He dropped the wisdom almost casually, then walked away. “I was like…” she trailed off, her stunned expression saying it all.

That simple, yet profound statement has followed Sabrina ever since. It’s not just a quote, but a mantra. In 2022, after she became the first player in WNBA history to record a 30-point triple-double, she posted a recap with those very words as the caption. From Sabrina to Phil Handy, it’s clear that Kobe Bryant’s words and teachings had a life-changing impact.