“Kobe Bryant Was the Bar”: Dwyane Wade Shares an Incredible Story of Lakers Legend

Kobe Bryant was one of the most iconic basketball players to play in the NBA. He was known for his legendary work ethic and the drive to out-perform outwork everyone around him. Kobe headlined the 2008 USA Basketball team along with the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and more.

Being a basketball player comes with its fair share of hard work. You need to hit the gym even at odd hours to keep yourself ready. And Kobe Bryant was unarguably the toughest worker out there. Dwyane Wade recently appeared on the JJ Reddick podcast and shared his experience on entering the league.

“I think for me man when I got into the league obviously Michael Jordan is my favorite player of all time,” Wade said. “But for me when I got into the league, Kobe Bryant was the bar.” Dwyane Wade praised the competitiveness of Kobe as well, “When you want to talk about the swagger oof I mean Kobe had it but as a competitor I knew that Kobe was the one If I wanted to be great that I had to get on the level of Kobe Bryant.”

 Kobe Bryant had a crazy workout routine

Wade shared a story about Kobe’s crazy workout routine that he followed to give himself an edge over his competitors. He talked about a game they played together during the 08 Olympics.

“We get into a city, one of the cities very late, and immediately we all go to the gym,” Wade said. “ And after we get our work in me and my guys we say hey let’s meet for breakfast in the morning,” Wade added.

Read: “Like Michael Jordan’s Career”: Former Teammate Explains Why LeBron James Got Hate For Signing With Miami

“We probably get like three hours of sleep and we wake up go down to where the food is as we are walking down you know slobbing with sleep in our eyes, Kobe Bryant is sitting there with ice on his knees already.” And When the team asked him about the situation Kobe simply replied, “Oh yeah man I just finished the workout and I am about to go do another one.”

There are many stories about Kobe Bryant that motivated many players in the league. Wade revealed that this experience pushed him to work even harder and become a better version of himself. Dwyane Wade was a crucial party of the 08 USA team. He led the team in scoring filled with stars like Kobe, LeBron, and Carmelo. This interaction with Kobe Bryant definitely played a role in his fantastic performance.