“Heroes come and go, but legends are forever,” Bryant said.  This is one of Kobe’s most famous quotes.

His focus and determination inspired so many people from players to others trying to make a name for themselves. 

For a kid from Philly entering the NBA as an 18-year-old kid straight out of high school, Kobe always had something that separated him from the other players. Most people call it the “Mamba Mentality.” 

“Mamba mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most” Bryant said.

Kobe gave himself the nickname Black Mamba as an alter ego and which was what he was on the court a “killer snake.” In a 2015 interview with Ahmad Rashad, Bryant discussed the history behind the animal that inspired the name. 

“When I step on that court, I become that. I am that killer snake. I’m stone cold, man,” Kobe said. 

 He showed people how important it is to push through difficult times and end up having success. Kobe worked  hard when other people were sleeping. He was often the first one there and the last one to leave.At his jersey retirement on December 18, 2017 Kobe talked about his work ethic and what it meant to him. “Those times when you get up early and you work hard. Those times you stay up late and you work hard. Those times when you don’t feel like working. You’re too tired. You don’t want to push yourself, but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream,” Kobe said. 

All the hard work led Kobe to five championships and helped him push through the tough seasons. He ended up spending all 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. This mindset has inspired so many and will continue to do even after his passing. 

On the court, Kobe was a freak of nature and wouldn’t back down from anyone. His great ability to score led him to become the third all-time leading scorer in NBA history. LeBron James who looked up to Kobe passed him on the scoring list in a game on Jan. 25, 2020 versus the Philadelphia 76ers on a reverse layup. 

Kobe inspired basketball players all over the world including LeBron and many more. Kobe’s last tweet before he passed was a salute to LeBron for passing him on the scoring list. “Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother #33644,” tweeted Kobe. 

The day of Kobe’s passing, an NBA league-wide trend happens as the teams playing would take and eight second violation to honor Kobe’s time as number eight. Then would take a 24 second shot clock violation to honor his time as number 24. It brought many emotions and we got to see how many people were touched by Kobe’s legacy. 

In life we never know what challenges will get thrown at us and the way we deal with that shows our character and it’s what it’s all about. Whether we put that alarm on snooze or we get up and get to work. We can take notes out of Kobe’s book because our time is limited and we can either wait around or we can go out and take it. 

In the words of the legend… “Kobe Out.”