The world simply isn't the same without Kobe Bryant. Up until his untimely passing in 2020, the Los Angeles Laker had dedicated his life to inspiring millions of fans both on and off the basketball court. Just one look at his resume is enough to motivate anyone wanting to accomplish their dreams, goals and aspirations, no matter how ambitious.
In the NBA, Bryant collected many accolades, including five championship trophies, two MVP Finals awards and 18 All-Star appearances. Outside of his incredible athleticism, the man also known as the Black Mamba proved that he could hold his own as an MC and an actor, taking on roles in shows like "Moesha," "Arliss" and "Sister, Sister" before the turn of the century.
In honor of one of basketball’s biggest GOATs — and one of his retired jersey numbers — REVOLT collected 24 of Braynt’s most notable quotes that should help propel anyone who reads them to success.
1. "Failure doesn't exist."
During a BET Experience panel, Bryant told Jemele Hill that he never played with a fear of failure, since he always grew from all his experiences. He also explained why it’s equally unadvisable to compete with nothing more than “a will to win.”
2. “If you love what you do and it’s making you happy, all the hard work and perserverance will pay off.”
In a message to Special Olympics Southern California athletes, Bryant spoke on the importance of working hard at your craft. He argued that “there’s no greater feeling” than giving something your all and reflected on when a guidance counselor attempted to dissuade him from playing basketball. “It would never amount to anything for me,” Bryant recalled the counselor incorrectly assuming.
3. “I don't want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.”
In this quote from an ESPN interview, Bryant made it clear that he was looking to create his own legend in the NBA. With that said, the late star made sure to give Michael Jordan his flowers and acknowledge the gems that the six-time champion afforded him throughout his career.
4. “It’s not the destination. It’s the journey.”
As expected, Bryant provided a packed house at the then-Staples Center with a poignant speech during a ceremony retiring his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys. In the closing lines of that speech, he explained that his dream included the good and bad times. His success wouldn’t have happened without each moment.
5. “Have a good time. Enjoy life.”
Bryant quickly became well-known for showing love to fans off the court — especially the youth who aspire to be like him. While speaking about the Kobe Bryant Basketball Academy (a precursor to the Mamba Sports Academy), he shared the above advice. “You have to keep moving. You have to keep going. Put one foot in front of the other, smile and just keep on rolling,” he added.
6. “Get over yourself. 'Cause it's not about you, man.”
When asked how he felt after what was popularly dubbed his “airball game” as an 18-year-old in the NBA, Bryant dropped this quote. “You’re worried about how people may perceive you, and you’re walking around, and it’s embarrassing... Get over yourself,” he said to Valuetainment’s Patrick Bet-David before analyzing what caused him to shoot airballs in the first place.
7. “In order to get to a certain level, you have to have a certain amount of selfishness.”
In an NBC’s 2009 People of the Year interview, with four championship trophies sitting in view, Matt Lauer asked Bryant about criticism over his professional demeanor — specifically, that others have called him arrogant and selfish throughout his career. His response? “[There’s] probably a little truth to it,” he admitted before offering the above explanation.
8. “No matter what, people are going to like you or not like you. So be authentic, and let them like you or not for who you actually are.”
Bryant’s critically acclaimed autobiography, “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play,” is packed with knowledge for anyone who looked to the baller for wisdom learned from experience. One of his biggest lessons is that it does get lonelier at the top, and Bryant found himself on the receiving end of a lot of hate. Over time, he learned to stand tall and remain as genuine as possible, especially when dealing with the media. “I think fans and reporters came to appreciate that — came to appreciate the real me,” he said.
9. “You don't want to jump into something if you're not passionate about it.”
During an appearance on CNBC, Bryant pitched his growing venture capital firm, Bryant Stibel, which he created with former Web.com President and CEO Jeff Stibel. As expected, viewers were able to catch a few gems when Bryant gave his take on NBA players expanding into other industries. Simply put, you need to have an intense desire to succeed in order to get results. “That’s really the key. If you have the love to do it, you’ll be able to handle whatever bumps come your way,” he said.
10. “Be sad. Be mad. Be frustrated. Scream. Cry. Sulk.”
The path to greatness doesn’t come without roadblocks. Gordon Hayward learned this when he suffered a gruesome season-ending injury in the middle of an NBA game. Bryant decided to provide words of support on Instagram, which began with an admission of how life can be. The powerful message rings true for everyone, regardless of the situation.
11. “I realized that intimidation didn't really exist if you're in the right frame of mind.”
In an ESPN interview, Bryant was asked whether he had ever been intimidated on the basketball court. In response, he told a story about when he was forced to fight a larger opponent in a karate class at six years old. After being freaked out about the matchup, he said, “I realized he didn’t kick my a** as bad as I thought he was going to and that there was nothing really to be afraid of.” He later retold a similar karate story in another interview.
12. “Leadership is lonely.”
Bryant understood early on how being the leader meant facing certain challenges alone, both for yourself and your team. “I’m not gonna be afraid of confrontation to get us where we need to go,” he said. “If you are going to be a leader, you are not going to please everybody. You have to hold people accountable. Even if you have that moment of being uncomfortable.”
13. “If you want to be the greatest of all time at something, there’s going to be a negative side to that.”
Bryant was arguably at his most honest during an interview with GQ, when he was asked about everything from past legal issues to the Lakers’ suboptimal record at the time. He was also queried about whether the qualities that made him great were actually problems. “Oh, yeah,” he said to the reporter before adding, “But the things that make a person average are also problems.”
14. “I want to learn how to become the best basketball player in the world. And if I'm going to learn that, I gotta learn from the best.”
Before his tragic passing, Bryant took part in a Showtime documentary titled Kobe Bryant’s Muse, which gave a rawer-than-usual look into his story. In the film, the famed player gave his perspective on going straight from high school to the NBA, stating that he needed to “learn from the best” if he was going to “become the best basketball player.” He added, “Kids go to school to be doctors or lawyers, so forth and so on, and that's where they study. My place to study is from the best."
15. “I see the beauty in getting up in the morning and being in pain because I know all the hard work that it took to get to this point.”
Not long after his inevitable retirement announcement, Bryant revealed in a press conference that he didn’t feel sad about coming to the end of his 20-year career in the NBA. “There's beauty in that," he expressed to reporters. "It's going through the cycle. It's the natural progression of growth and maturation. There's no sadness in that.”
16. “I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success.”
In the later years of his NBA career, Bryant pulled no punches in his criticism of others. After going back and forth in the media about former teammates, he decided to hop on Facebook to speak about his reputation with former coworkers. “I’d rather be perceived as a winner than a good teammate,” he wrote before declaring that he has “nothing in common with lazy people who blame others” for their shortcomings. “Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” In the end, Bryant was supposedly trying to help his teammates find “their inner beast” only for them to end up harboring resentment.
17. “May you always remember to enjoy the road, especially when it’s a hard one.”
Rob Pelinka, vice president of basketball operations and general manager for the Lakers, revealed the above quote to the packed arena during “A Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant.” During the memorial, Pelinka said, “My wife reminded me of the book Kobe authored and had recently given to me. I went upstairs and found the book in my library, and opened it, and on the inside cover, he had penned these words: ‘To Rob, my brother: May you always remember to enjoy the road, especially when it’s a hard one. Love, Kobe.’”
18. "Appreciate it now. Let it sit in now because revenge is sweet and it's quick."
When everyone was on Bryant’s back over struggles later in his career, his response in the press was like the calm before the storm. “Take it all in,” he reportedly told Power 106. “Sit back, and watch, and listen, and hear all the hate that's being thrown at us and remember every person that's kicking you when you're down because next year it ain't gonna be this way.”
19. "I would go 0-30 before I would go 0-9. 0-9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game.”
Sports Illustrated reported on a Bryant quote that Gotham Chopra, the director of Kobe Bryant’s Muse, shared. “I would go 0-30 before I would go 0-9. 0-9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game,” Chopra recalled the Lakers shooting guard stating. “The only reason is because you've just now lost confidence in yourself.”
20. “Friends can come and go, but banners hang forever.”
Kobe reportedly admitted that, due to his competitive nature, being “a great friend is something I will never be.” When Hill asked him to expand on that statement during their BET Experience convo, he doubled down. “I meant that friends can come and go, but banners hang forever.”
21. “Setting things up right from the beginning will avoid a ton of tears and heartache.”
In an open letter to his younger self published on The Players’ Tribune, Byrant shared sound advice for kids who might follow in his footsteps as a star athlete. The main point was to invest in loved ones before fame and fortune become concrete. “I did not say GIVE,” he clarified.
22. “You are responsible for how people remember you — or don’t.”
The Lakers previously shared extra footage from Bryant’s jersey retirement press conference, where he spoke on how much the honor had meant to him. The organization also added the above quote in the post’s description.
23. “I don't negotiate with myself.”
“When I told myself at 13 [years old] that I wanted to be one of the greatest who have ever played, that’s the deal I made,” Bryant said at Danny Morel’s Relentless event. “I shook hands with myself. That is the deal. That is the contract. That is non-negotiable.”
24. “Pain doesn’t tell you when you ought to stop. Pain is the little voice in your head that tries to hold you back because it knows if you continue, you will change.”
This was one of the quotes that Hill Harper shared on the day that Bryant and his daughter Gianna passed. “His work ethic and brilliance and commitment to excellence was always inspiring,” the actor and political candidate added.