Kobe Bryant (Basketball Player)

Everyting negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity for me to rise. ➡

The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do. ➡

I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I'm like, 'My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don't have it. I just want to chill.' We all have self-doubt. You don't deny it, but you also don't capitulate to it. You embrace it. ➡

If you're afraid to fail, then you're probably going to fail. ➡

I can't relate to lazy people. We don't speak the same language. I don't understand you. I don't want to understand you. ➡

Sports are such a great teacher. I think of everything they've taught me: camaraderie, humility, how to resolve differences. ➡

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot. ➡

I don't want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant. ➡

One thing you gotta know about me is I have absolutely no filter. I have no problem saying what the hell I think of someone. ➡

I'm reflective only in the sense that I learn to move forward. I reflect with a purpose. ➡

The important thing is that your teammates have to know you're pulling for them and you really want them to be successful. ➡

I'm chasing perfection. ➡

In an individual sport, yes, you have to win titles. Baseball's different. But basketball, hockey? One person can control the tempo of a game, can completely alter the momentum of a series. There's a lot of great individual talent. ➡

I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. No matter what the injury - unless it's completely debilitating - I'm going to be the same player I've always been. I'll figure it out. I'll make some tweaks, some changes, but I'm still coming. ➡

Can I jump over two or three guys like I used to? No. Am I as fast as I used to be? No, but I still have the fundamentals and smarts. That's what enables me to still be a dominant player. As a kid growing up, I never skipped steps. I always worked on fundamentals because I know athleticism is fleeting. ➡

These young guys are playing checkers. I'm out there playing chess. ➡

I've played with IVs before, during and after games. I've played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball. I don't miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn't that serious in the first place. ➡

What people see on court is another side of me; it's not me. ➡

I focus on one thing and one thing only - that's trying to win as many championships as I can. ➡

It's disgusting, but my father taught me when your mouth gets dry, just suck the sweat out of your own jersey. There's no bravado to any of it; it's just a disgusting little trick. ➡

The Black Mamba collection of watches is me: It is my alter ego, so to speak. As I mentioned before, it is sharp, cutting edge and sleek which are characteristics I try to apply when I'm out there on the basketball court. ➡

I love going one-on-one with someone. That's what I do. I've never lost. It's a whole different game, just to have them right in front of you and be able to do whatever you want. ➡

The topic of leadership is a touchy one. A lot of leaders fail because they don't have the bravery to touch that nerve or strike that chord. Throughout my years, I haven't had that fear. ➡

At the end of 2003, my game was complete. Shooting, defense, using the dribble, transition, midrange stuff was all there. Then it was about fine-tuning and trying to improve in each area. ➡

It's different from being 21 and you think there's endless amount of opportunities. At 33, the ending is much, much closer. ➡