If you were asked to explain what made Kobe Bryant so great, beyond just pointing to his basketball talent, you would probably say things like his tenacity, work ethic, and competitiveness that bordered on insanity (aka, Mamba Mentality).
Kobe was also fiercely loyal to those he liked, but the moment someone crossed him that bridge was burned. Bryant’s ultra-competitive nature, coupled with an apparent disregard for how others viewed him, made him unique and also helped mold him into one of the greatest NBA players of all-time.
Most every superstar in the league is a crazed competitor. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and most any elite player has that trait, but not everyone is able to brush off criticism and quickly sever ties with the past (as we’ve seen recently with Durant) the way Kobe did. That trait is rare and being a surly superstar isn’t the norm in the modern NBA.
When asked recently on the Hollywood Reporter‘s “Awards Chatter” podcast about a player in the league that most reminds him of himself, Bryant noted there’s one player who sticks out above the rest.
“Which player coming up today most reminds you of yourself?”
“Russell Westbrook.”
It’s the obvious answer in terms of personality. Westbrook, Durant’s former teammate, has sent apparent messages to his old teammate, but done so in more veiled forms and has long been among the league’s best at shaking off criticism. On the court, he’s a vicious competitor and relentless in attacking, much like Bryant in his prime.
Westbrook, to players that came up in the 90s and early 2000s, is a throwback of sorts in his personality. It’s why Kobe sees a lot of himself in Russ and why Kevin Garnett likewise said the Thunder point guard and reigning MVP was the player he felt was most like himself in the league today.
