Basketball Never Stops

gotemcoach: WORK ETHIC A story about Kobe Bryant, as told by a...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 03:54:31 -0500

WORK ETHIC

A story about Kobe Bryant, as told by a professional trainer who worked with Bryant this past Summer, for the Olympics:

I’ve been a professional athletic trainer for about 16 years and have been able to work with a range of athletes from the high school to professional level. Right now I run in a clinic in Cincinnati and have most recently been training with some players on the Bengals.

I activated my reddit account just a moment ago and because I’ve been seeing the videos of Kobe’s most recent dunks and the comments you guys have had to share I decided I might as well chime in what I know about the man. And let me just state by saying that this story doesn’t touch on anything we don’t know about Kobe but rather that he simply is not human when he is working on his craft.

I was invited to Las Vegas this past Summer to help Team USA with their conditioning before they head off to London, and as we know they would eventually bring home the Gold (USA). I’ve had the opportunity to work with Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade in the past but this would be my first interaction with Kobe. We first met three days before the first scrimmage, on the day of the first practice, early July. It was a brief conversation where we talked about conditioning, where he would like to be by the end of the Summer, and we talked a little bit about the hustle of the Select Team. Then he got my number and I let him know that if he ever wanted some extra training he could hit me up any time.

The night before the first scrimmage I remember I was just watched “Casablanca” for the first time and it was about 3:30 AM. I lay in bed, slowly fading away when I hear my cell ring. It was Kobe. I nervously picked up.

“Hey, uhh Rob, I hope I’m not disturbing anything right?”

“Uhh no, what’s up Kob?”

“Just wondering if you could just help me out with some conditioning work, that’s all.”

I checked my clock. 4:15 AM.

“Yeah sure, I’ll see you in the facility in a bit.”

It took me about twenty minutes to get my gear and out of the hotel. When I arrived and opened the room to the main practice floor I saw Kobe. Alone. He was drenched in sweat as if he had just taken a swim. It wasn’t even 5AM.

We did some conditioning work for the next hour and fifteen minutes. Then we entered the weight room, where he would do a multitude of strength training exercises for the next 45 minutes. After that we parted ways and he went back to the practice floor to shoot. I went back to the hotel and crashed. Wow.

I was expected to be at the floor again at about 11 AM. I woke up feeling sleepy, drowsy, and almost pretty much every side effect of sleep deprivation. Thanks, Kobe. I had a bagel and headed to the practice facility.

This next part I remember very vividly. All the Team USA players were there, feeling good for the first scrimmage. LeBron was talking to Carmelo if I remember correctly and Coach Krzyzewski was trying to explain something to Kevin Durant. On the right side of the practice facility was Kobe by himself shooting jumpers. And this is how our next conversation went — I went over to him, patted him on the back and said, “Good work this morning.”

“Huh?”

“Like, the conditioning. Good work.”

“Oh. Yeah, thanks Rob. I really appreciate it.”

“So when did you finish?”

“Finish what?”

“Getting your shots up. What time did you leave the facility?”

“Oh just now. I wanted 800 makes so yeah, just now.”

My jaw dropped. Mother of holy God. It was then that I realized that there’s no surprise to why he’s been as effective as he was last season. Every story about his dedication, every quote that he’s said about hard work all came together and hit me like a train. It’s no surprise to me now that he’s dunking on players ten years younger than him and it wasn’t a surprise to me earlier this year when he led the league in scoring.

Thanks for reading and allowing me to share you my Kobe Bryant story. If anyone has any questions I can clarify. Sorry if the story was at all hard to follow as this is my first time on reddit.

Rob.

#GotEmCoach

Photo

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:15:05 -0500

Photo

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:28:55 -0500

Photo

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 21:04:45 -0400

Photo

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:23:41 -0400

Photo

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 00:15:28 -0400

Photo

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 20:37:00 -0400

Photo

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 02:50:37 -0400

Photo

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 02:49:19 -0400

Photo

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 02:48:10 -0400

Photo

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 02:47:40 -0400

onelesslie: Drake | Whatever Became Of You (Where Where You)...

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:48:56 -0400

onelesslie:

Drake | Whatever Became Of You (Where Where You) ft. Colin Munroe, Dawn Richard

I have to watch the road

I swear that every car that passes has you in it

I can’t believe we’re finished

My life is movin’ fast

The time will often pass

And something will remind me

I can’t put this behind me

I thought you would’ve called by now, by now

You could’ve had my all by now, by now

It’s been too many years for you to disappear

And have me asking the question

[Hook]

I wonder whatever became of you

Although, It’s not that I’m surprised, It’s not I didn’t try

It’s not that I was frightened, of you

Although, I said all goodbyes

And, you had all your cries

I wonder whatever became of you

I wonder whatever became of you

I wonder whatever became of you

[Verse 2: Dawn Richard]

I swear I heard you call

But when I heard you’d gone

I hate that I looked desperate

You gone is like me naked

I’m steering not to crash

Trying to make it last

Keep looking close behind me

My eyesight on a memory

I thought you would’ve called by now, by now

You could have all my love right now, by now

Gave into my fears

While you just disappeared

That’s why I’m asking this question…

[Hook]

[Verse 3: Drake]

I can’t go to bed

I’m thinking about my goals

And how we used to say a goal is just a dream with a deadline

Where did the other half of my heart go?

Why am I in bed alone?

How come when I drive by, it looks like you are never home?

Do you even live there?

Or did you take a U-Haul?

Too far, move off and not even tell me that you’re gone?

We were on fire

Somehow that fire cooled off, burnt out

I kept straight, but I wonder how you turned out

Photo

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 03:36:15 -0400

Photo

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 14:14:17 -0400

Photo

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 14:12:25 -0400

Photo

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:56:38 -0400

Photo

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 21:00:45 -0400

Photo

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 21:00:05 -0400

Photo

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 20:59:03 -0400

Photo

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 20:58:46 -0400