“If You’re Mentally Efficient…”: The Idea of an Unstoppable Player as Per Kobe Bryant Himself

The NBA community knew Kobe Bryant to be picky about who he gave validation, even if he was a friendly soul. Recently, a clip resurfaced in which Bryant talks about what being an unstoppable player in the NBA means to him.

Maybe this clip will end up being an inspiration for active NBA players who didn’t play in Bryant’s presence.

Kobe’s criteria for an unstoppable player

Playmaker HQ recently posted a video clip in which Kobe described exactly what he feels makes a player unstoppable in the NBA. He says:

“Unstoppable to me in a game of basketball means that you have an array of options. For example, If you’re great at going right and they stop you from going right, you go left.”

Adding a few more such examples, the Los Angeles Lakers legend explains how one can become unstoppable by combining your mental and physical strength.

“If you’re mentally efficient, you combine that with your physical tools and your god given ability”, he says. “It makes you hard working. When You add determination and perseverence to your drill, when you have a depthness to your game, that makes you unstoppable.”

What made Kobe Bryant an overall unstoppable player

Kobe Bryant did a lot of good for the NBA community, ranging from encouraging his fellow players to inspiring several others.

Kobe gave himself the nickname of the Black Mamba. It stood for the snake’s ability to “strike with 99 percent accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession”. Further, he birthed a state of mind called the “Mamba Mentality”. 

“Mamba mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most,” he once told Amazon Book Review. “It’s the ultimate mantra for the competitive spirit.  It started just as a hashtag that came to me one day, and it’s grown into something athletes — and even non-athletes — embrace as a mindset.”

We knew that Kobe, as a player, was hell-bent on winning. Be it against opponents or his own records, Kobe was always competing. One may say this would get tiring at some point. However, this exact lifestyle resulted in various achievements.

5 championships, an MVP, two scoring titles, 18 all-star appearances, 15 all-NBA nods, 12 all-defense berths, the fourth-most points in NBA history, and an unprecedented two jerseys retired by one team! We feel these accomplishments more than compensate for Bryant’s single-minded approach towards his game.

Bryant was also an avid supporter of the WNBA. He was confident he didn’t require sons to carry on his legacy. The father of four daughters believed his daughter Gianna was more than capable to be his heiress.

All these achievements, personal and professional, made Kobe Bryant an unstoppable NBA player and the true legend. Unfortunately, Kobe and his daughter Gianna died on January 26, 2020, in a tragic helicopter crash along with seven others on board.