Late NBA legend Kobe Bryant is widely known for his incredible work ethic throughout his 20-year NBA career.
Speaking of his career, Kobe Bryant spent the entirety of the two decades as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
During that time, Kobe helped the franchise win five NBA Championships. In becoming a five-time NBA champion, the Boston Celtics, the Lakers’ biggest rivals, surprisingly played a crucial role.
Kobe Bryant reveals the 2008 NBA Finals loss vs. Boston Celtics made him a better player
Before winning back-to-back NBA Championships in 2009 and 2010, Bryant was delivered one of the most heartbreaking defeats of his career in 2008, at the hands of the Celtics.
However, rather than feeling bad, Bryant used it as motivation, as revealed by the Lakers legend in a 2015 ESPN article.
“For the second half of my career, it’s the most important piece. Because when we lost in 2008, that was the turn. That was when I said, ‘I have to figure this leadership thing out. I can’t go through this [again],'” Bryant said.
He added: “Honestly, if I could chant for them, I would. I don’t think the fans here really understand how much they drove me.
“From the singing of the songs to the shaking of the bus going back to the hotel, that stuff really stuck with me. It drove me to maniacal proportions.”
Any other NBA star than Kobe may have allowed the Celtics’ defeat to get the better of them, but the Mamba was built different.
Kobe Bryant says Boston Celtics fans had no idea how much they meant to him
Bryant further continued and explained how he always wanted to show gratitude to the tough Celtics fans.
” I don’t think they really understand how much they meant to my career. I wish I could do more to show my gratitude to them. I just try to say thank you as much as I possibly could,” Bryant concluded.
As mentioned earlier, Bryant went on to win two consecutive NBA Championships after the Celtics defeat and established himself as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
This just shows how much of an impact a rival team and their fanbase can have in shaping the legacy of an all-time great.
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