#TheMambaMentality: A tribute to the 9 lives lost in the January 26, 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA.
#TheMambaMentality
I have been lucky enough to be one of the few people that can say that they were able to attend Kobe's last game, his retirement game, and the game following his passing. Thus, I wanted to share this with all of you.
I chose to publish this blog more than a week after learning about one of the most horrific and impacting tragedies that I can ever remember. I wanted there to be time for this all to set in for me and for me to address all of you with a clear mind.
Why does it rain the hardest on those who deserve the sunshine the most? This is a question that at times I struggle to answer. Like many of us do.
“The Mamba mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most. It’s the ultimate mantra for the competitive spirit. Hard work outweighs talent — every time. The Mamba mentality is about 4 a.m. workouts, doing more than the next guy and then trusting in the work you’ve put in when it’s time to perform. Without studying, preparation and practice, you’re leaving the outcome to fate. I don’t do fate. I always aimed to kill the opposition.”
Everybody has a story about Kobe Bryant. Namely, basketball enthusiasts, sports enthusiasts, business enthusiasts, haters, parents, those who idolize celebrity status, and just those who respect goodhearted people. Thus, that covers just about every one of us. We all have a story about Kobe.
For some of us, it is remembering the first slam dunk contest that he won in his rookie year. For some of us, it is remembering his NBA titles, his most valuable player award, the years that he was a scoring champion, his All-Star MVPs, his 81-point game, or his final game when he scored 60 points. For others, we remember his accolades off the court. We remember when he won his Oscar for his short film. We remember learning about who he was as a father, as a family man, as a basketball coach to his daughter Gianna. We remember his accessibility to the public in his post-playing years.
Kobe was as synonymous with Southern California as is the sunshine to the residents who live in the Southern California area year around. He touched everybody.
Now, unfortunately, we all have one more story that we can reflect on in the form of a memory about Kobe. The story about what took place on the morning of January 26, 2020. While it most certainly was not his departure from all of our hearts and our minds, namely just his physical presence here on earth, does not mean that when you hear his name in the spoken word, that you can't reflect as if he was still here. Kobe will always be here because legends never die. This is a post about how a hero becomes a legend.
It's important to acknowledge and pay respects to the fact that there was most certainly 8 other incredible people on that helicopter flight that morning as well. All of which deserve equally as much acknowledgment, respect, and appreciation.
· Kobe Bryant 41
· Gianna Bryant 13, Kobe’s daughter and a player on Team Mamba
· John Altobelli 56, husband to Keri and dad to Alyssa, Orange Coast College baseball coach of 27 years
· Keri Altobelli 46, John’s wife and Alyssa’s mom
· Alyssa Altobelli 13, Player on Team Mamba
· Christina Mauser 38, assistant coach for Team Mamba
· Ara Zobayan 50, Pilot
· Sarah Chester 45, Payton’s mom
· Payton Chester 13, Player on Team Mamba
The unfortunate reality for all of those on that plane, much like almost all people that pass away, why do we learn more about people after they are gone rather than while they are actually here on this earth? Are we truly taking the time to get to know those around us? That is not the Mamba Mentality. The Mamba mentality does not teach you to give effort into relationships after they are gone, but merely to take advantage of them while you have the chance to have an impact on others.
Why do we wait until these moments to reflect? To appreciate? To acknowledge? I guess I'm now a part of the problem. But, each of you have my oath from now and until the rest of my life that I will set aside time, that I will make time, that I will go the extra mile to make each and every one of you, that is a part of my life, feel valued, appreciated, acknowledged, and important. This is my step in that direction right now. Acknowledging those apart of that horrific accident.
MY STORY of Kobe goes much like this…..
On January 26, 2020, at 9:45 AM, the world, the NBA, and humanity lost nine incredible individuals, one of which was one of the most transcendent figures in the entire world. Kobe was not just a transcendent figure in present-day history, he will forever be in the future history of the world as well. He has quite simply changed the manner in which we all act, we all perceive, we all believe, we all hope, the way that we all now engage with others. We all believe now, if we did not before, that there is no need to waste any more time.
On that horrific January 26, 2020 morning, a helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California. How it actually happened has yet to be determined. People’s speculations of how it happened, are even different stories. Theories of why it happened are even further from the point. People died. People will never be here any longer. Thus, changing all of our lives forever.
We all will forever remember that morning and what came thereafter. For some, it was grief, agony, unexplainable feelings, anger, and for all, it was sincere condolences to each and every one of the families who lost lives.
While we will remember those who passed away and that helicopter crash forever, we also need to acknowledge that this is not how they need to be remembered. Through this whole process of comprehending Kobe's death, I have found it interesting that the media and nobody ever acknowledge his basketball accolades (listed at the end of this blog post). That is because quite frankly they don't really matter. Not because they are not historic, they are not record-breaking, they are not meaningful, but because Kobe was much more than just a basketball player. He was a human being. He was a father, a husband, a business entrepreneur, a transcendent figure, an innovator, and a trendsetter. He was Kobe. He is one of the very few people in this world that we recognize him for his singular first name, without his last name in the same context. For those reasons that were just mentioned is why we will continue to talk about him forever. We will talk about him because he is such a complex individual. He has so much to his name. But, at the same time, he had one intention and one point that he tried to get across was very simple. Thus, we could all argue that through the complexities he actually was simple. All he tried to teach and thrust onto others was the #mambamentality.
Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23, 1978. He was the son of former NBA player Joe Bryant and his mom, Pamela Cox Bryant. He was named after the famous beef of Kobe, from Japan. His middle name, Bean, was derived from his father’s nickname "Jellybean". Kobe grew up Catholic and moved to Italy in his childhood years, while his father was playing professional basketball at a lower level. Kobe's initial sports interest was soccer while growing up in Italy, as he was a big AC Milan fan. During Kobe's childhood years in Italy, he learned to speak fluently in Italian, where later in life he would also become fluent in Spanish and English. Eventually, he was able to speak north of seven different languages to some capacity.
Kobe started playing basketball at age 3 and the Lakers were his favorite team growing up. When Kobe was living with his family in Reggio Emelia, Italy, he began to play basketball and would oftentimes come back to the United States to play basketball during the summer. In his teenage years, Kobe ended up attending Lower Marion High School in Ardmore, Philadelphia. He started on the varsity basketball team as a freshman. While the teams record his freshman year was not very respectable (4-20), Kobe took it upon himself to ensure that that was not how it was going to be the rest of his high school career. This was when the Mamba Mentality took over. The following three years of his high school career, he led his team to a 77 – 13 record and Kobe would play all five positions on the court. Kobe led his high school team to their first state championship in 53 years. He ended his high school career as Southeastern Pennsylvania's all-time leading scorer, passing Wilt Chamberlain in the process. Kobe's high school stats are off the charts, thus giving him college options at Duke, Michigan, North Carolina, and Villanova until he eventually decided to go straight to the NBA.
Kobe was then drafted in the 1996 NBA draft. Kobe was drafted 13th pick overall to the Charlotte Hornets until the Charlotte Hornets traded Kobe to the Los Angeles Lakers four Vlade Divac.
From this point forward most of us, if not all of us, know the modern-day history of what happened for the next 20 years and beyond in his life and his basketball career. To name a couple of these things: a rookie of the year, a five-time NBA champion, a two-time finals MVP, an NBA most valuable player, a 15-time all NBA selection, an 18-time All-Star, an Oscar award winner, a mentor, a friend, a business owner, an entrepreneur, a women's rights activists, a husband, a father to four beautiful girls, and an incredible human being.
I tell you the story of young Kobe Bryant because it marked a point in his life where his mentality changed. He had developed the mamba mentality before it even had a name. I, more importantly, tell you about the story of young Kobe Bryant, to remind all of you that we can all have this mindset, regardless of age and regardless of upbringing. While there will never be another Kobe Bryant ever again in the history of the world and there may never be another person or athlete that has his type of mentality and tenacity to be the best version of himself, this does not mean that we cannot honor him by trying to emulate his mentality.
“The mindset isn’t about seeking a result- it’s more about the process of getting to that result. It’s about the journey and the approach. It’s a way of life. I do think that it’s important, in all endeavors, to have that mentality.” -Kobe Bryant, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play
To look at this a little more deeply, we would all have to acknowledge that Kobe was a polarizing figure. You were either with him or you were against him. You either loved him or you hated him. You are either on his team or on the other side of his court, thus being his pray. If you aren't careful, he would bite you and wound you, as a black mamba snake would do. Laker fans loved Kobe. Fans of other teams, generally cannot and could not stand him, mainly because they wanted him on their team and didn't even know it. He was polarizing, to say the least. But, even in the midst of his polarization, he had a manner about him that also brought us all together, brought the NBA together, he was our glue. For better or for worse, he brought us together to debate, to reminisce, to share stories, memories. The debates over Kobe or Michael? Kobe or Lebron? The actions that we would employ in our everyday life to honor him without even realizing it (crumbling up a piece of trash and yelling "Kobe" as we swooshed it into the trashcan). He transcended the sport because he was box office. There was quite literally almost nobody like him in modern-day sports history that could quite literally sell out a stadium. Somebody that could change the aura of the turnstiles. Probably the most fascinating part of all of this was that this went far beyond just Southern California. It went far beyond just the United States. Universally, you could argue that he is the most revered athlete in the entire world and in the entirety of human history. Name another one… I'll wait.
His polarity brought great conversation and great debate, but nothing brought about a more profound impact on society than the acknowledgment from others of his mentality. His willingness to do anything to win and not lose. His satisfaction in winning is something that is unprecedented not just in sports, but in human history. He was different. Built from a different mold. His mind thought differently. He was brilliant. He was a student of the game. He was an artist. He was a statistician. He was a leader. He was Kobe.
“I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” -Kobe Bryant
Kobe did not tolerate laziness, let alone mediocre. To the public eye, we ended up being the recipients of the stories from his teammates. They said that he was not easy to be a teammate of. Not because of his willingness to not be a team player, but mainly because of the expectation and the standard that he held everybody to. If you were going to be around him he demanded excellence. If you were going to say something and speak something into existence, he would ask you why you couldn't solve that problem now? Why couldn't you be better now? He would ask you what you were doing to get to where you wanted to be? Because if you did not have a plan on how to do so, then you were falling short. He would ask these questions and do these things because he demanded excellence of you and if you were going to associate with him, he demanded that of you as well. He wasn't going to let you fail. He was going to have you figure out a way to get there and if you can't figure it out yourself, he was going to get there for you. Kobe was the mantra that we are the sum of those closest to us and he was not going to let others bring him down by the lack of tenacity and goal fulfillment.
We all have moments in our life where we go through a self-evaluation process of, “are we getting the most out of ourselves?” Are we doing all that we can do? Are we being all that we can be? Are we giving the effort that is needed to get to where we want to be? Often times, this is after failure. This is after times of loss. But, Kobe was different. He had those moments of self-reflection before those moments even happened, thus making him the most prepared individual in the world. There was never any "what if's?" That is because he was so well-prepared that he created his own destiny. Nothing was by accident. Why can we not all be like that at any given time? Why do we wait before it's too long? Why do we wait until the opportunity is gone? The time is now.
We all talk about how we would like to honor those whom we have lost, yet oftentimes we fall short. Partially because we lose track of what is important. We move onto the next thing. We lose sight of family. We lose sight of friendships. We lose sight of the most important thing that life has to offer us and that is other people. We bottle it up with this perception in life that if we have things rather than people, we will be happy. That we will be more fulfilled. That if we have money then we can have more of the things that we want. But, the truth is your life's value is not determined by what you have, it is determined by who you have in your life and that starts and ends with your effort to maintain, keep, and most importantly your effort to develop those relationships to a point where they are forever impactful.
To me, I will not say that Kobe had the effect that others have had on me in my life, in the form of family and friends. I never met him. I've experienced the death of family and friends, best friends, my grandmother, and my grandfather. The grief that I experienced during those moments I thought and hoped I would never experience for a long time. Unfortunately, in many ways, I'm experiencing it now, again, with the passing of Kobe and the eight others. The ironic part in all of it is the mantra is the same as when one my other loved one’s past. I recognized the importance of those individuals when it was far too late. I could argue to you that Kobe had a similar impact on me to that of my own grandparents. Don't get that confused with Kobe having a greater meaning in my life than my grandparents or my friends, he just had a different meaning. His impact though changed the way I lived as a child. Much like every young kid in my generation, namely growing up in Southern California. He changed my mentality. He changed my approach. He changed my perception of what I thought hard work was. He changed how I analyzed the games and the sports that I played. He changed how I analyzed myself. Be changed my narrative what I thought being the best for myself was. Thus, you could argue a man that I never met, had as great of an impact on my life, in the form of life lessons and teachings, to that of anyone else; yet again in a much different way.
Kobe is and always will be my most revered athlete because he was different. Because of his mentality.
So, in the aftermath of all this, as we all try to digest the horror and reality of what transpired in the form of nine individuals losing their lives, we all must move forward with a mantra of how do we live life differently to ensure that we get the most out of the time that we have with our loved ones, while they are here? How do we honor those who lost their lives in the accident? How do we make sure that we honor all nine of them equally? Were they all drawn to Kobe in the same way that I was? Did they revere him the same way that I did because of his mentality? Thus, they were willing to entrust him to get on a helicopter with him to fly to a game. Some of these unfortunate realities we will never have answers to. However, we can provide solutions in the form of how we honor each and every one of them through the manner in which we live, starting right now…
I will leave you with one last quick story about Kobe that you all may or may not know. Kobe changed his number midway through his career to the number 24 from the number 8. Many believed that it was a publicity stunt to not only sell new jerseys but to rid himself of an image and a connotation about him that people had at that particular time because of the allegations that took place months before in Colorado with another woman. At this point, our feelings on those allegations are neither here nor there. I tell you of this change of his jersey number, to tell you the actual intent behind why he did it. Kobe was going through an interesting time in his professional career and his personal life. He sensed that his professional career by each and every year thereafter was one step closer to retirement. In terms of his personal life, he was embarking on parenthood, business ventures, entrepreneurship, and mentorship. Kobe changed his number to 24, as a reminder to himself of the number of hours in the day that he had to not only be the best version of himself through continued change but also it was the number of hours that he had in any given day to change the lives of others around him. If that is not a lesson to all, then I don’t know what is.
The unfortunate reality that we all live with is that life is going to continue to go on. Some of us may acknowledge Kobe in the breaths and conversations that we have in the future when we talk about the NBA to friends and to our kids someday that never will have known Kobe professionally. You cannot tell the story of the NBA without Kobe. However, some of us may never outwardly acknowledge him again. It sits differently with each and every one of us. However, what we can acknowledge is that Kobe and the others have all taught us one very important thing: hug your loved ones because you never know when your time is up. This is very cliché and we learn about this mantra far too often throughout our lives, generally when it’s too late and we are in a time of reflection of the ones that we have lost. Why do we not all unite together right now and make a pact that we will not live this life, that we have and that we are blessed with, that way any longer? Let's make a pact, that we will make the most of our time with our loved ones right now. We will say I love you. We will hug one another. We will unite together rather than be divided over things in life that truly don’t matter in the form of differences of opinion, differences of religion, political stances, etc. The things that really matter are people. Memories. Time. Kobe would fully support this. He was in the firm belief of always gathering his best assets to reach a goal.
I vow to you, each and every one of you reading this, I vow to Kobe, I vow to Gianna, I vow to John, Keri, and Alyssa, I vow to Christina, I vow to Sarah and Peyton, and I vow to Ara (all the individuals who suffered death in the accident) to never live my life in the manner in which I did the days prior to this ever again. I vow to all nine of you that I will take my life seriously, namely the time that I have with my loved ones. I vow to always tell them how much I love and care about them. I vow to always hug them upon my departures and I vow to always embrace them during my initial encounters. I vow to live with the Mamba Mentality and never let one more moment in my life slip away as a wasted moment of my energy, my breath, and my time as time where I did not value and utilize time to its fullest. I vow to honor each and every one of you and every other loved one that I have lost at any point in my life prior, in every way that I can for the rest of my life through the manner in which I live, through my actions and not simply the manner in which I talk through my words. Kobe, I vow to think of you every time I shoot that piece of trash into the trash can and I yell your name. Kobe, I never got to say a word to you and I truly wish that I did. But, if I did I would tell you this, “Thank you for being a man that has changed my life forever without even meeting me. You have set an example for me of what it means to live. We should all live in a manner that we should try to leave this world a better place in which we have found it. We should try to affect those lives, that we have never even met yet, by setting an example of how to live. Kobe, while you have many nicknames, the one that I am drawn to most is ‘Vino.’ Unfortunately, that nickname did not associate with you until later in your career. But, I’m here to tell you that the intent behind it is exactly true to who you are. You are simply better with age. I know that with my newfound mentality now to never let any moment slip away, as I aspire to be the best version of myself that I can be, that I will live up to that very mantra and that nickname of ‘Vino.’ Until I meet you in heaven, thank you. From now until then, Mamba out…”
Kobe Bryant’s Career Accolades
5-time NBA champion: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010
7 NBA Finals appearances: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010
· 2-time NBA Finals MVP: 2009, 2010
· NBA Most Valuable Player: 2008
· 2-time scoring champion: 2006, 2007
· 18-time NBA All-Star: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
- 18 consecutive selections, 13 consecutive appearances (No All-Star game in 1999 due to a league-wide lockout)
- Missed the 2010, 2014 and 2015 games due to injury
4-time NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2002, 2007, 2009, 2011 (shared the 2009 award with Shaquille O'Neal)
15-time All-NBA Team selection:
12-time All-Defensive Team selection:
NBA All-Rookie Team selection:
NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion: 1997
34-time Player of the Month
NBA regular-season leader:
· games played: 1998–99 (50), 2007–08 (82), 2008–09 (82)
· usage percentage: 2005–06 (38.7), 2010–11 (35.1), 2011–12 (35.7)
· points: 2002–03 (2,461), 2005–06 (2,832, 7th in NBA history), 2006–07 (2,430), 2007–08 (2,323)
· points per game: 2005–06 (35.4, 8th in NBA history), 2006–07 (31.6)
· field goals made: 2002–03 (868), 2005–06 (978), 2006–07 (813)
· free throws made: 2005–06 (696), 2006–07 (667)
· 2nd most points in a game: 81 (on January 22, 2006, vs. the Toronto Raptors)
· 2x Best NBA Player ESPY Award winner: 2008, 2010
NBA playoffs leader:
· win shares: 2001 (3.8)
· points: 2004 (539), 2008 (633), 2009 (695), 2010 (671)
· points per game: 2003 (32.1), 2007 (32.8), 2008 (30.1)
· minutes played: 2002 (833), 2004 (973)
· field goals made: 2004 (190), 2008 (222), 2009 (242), 2010 (234)
· free throws made: 2004 (135), 2008 (157), 2009 (174), 2010 (154)
· steals: 2000 (32), 2009 (38)
· personal fouls: 2000 (89)
· Most Seasons played for a single NBA Franchise: 20 (tied with Dirk Nowitzki)
· Most All-Star Game MVP awards won, career: 4 (tied with Bob Pettit)
· Most offensive rebounds in an All-Star Game: 10
· Most All-NBA Total Selections won, career: 15 (tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan)
· Most All-NBA First Team honors won, career: 11 (tied with Karl Malone and LeBron James)
· Most All-Defensive First Team honors won, career: 9 (tied with Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, and Kevin Garnett)
· Most free throws made, four-game playoff series: 51 (second round vs. Sacramento Kings, 2001)
· Most points scored in one arena, career: 16,161 (as of April 14, 2016, at Staples Center, Los Angeles)
· Most games played at one arena, career: 599 (as of April 14, 2016, at Staples Center, Los Angeles
· Youngest player to score 32,000 points: (36 years, 87 days)
· Youngest player to score 33,000 points: (37 years, 138 days)
· Youngest player to be named to the NBA All-Rookie Team: (1996–97)
· Youngest player to be named to the NBA All-Defensive Team: (1999–00)
· Youngest player to start a game: (18 years, 158 days)
· Youngest player to win the NBA Slam Dunk Championship: (18 years, 169 days)
· Youngest player to start an All-Star game: (19 years, 169 days)
· Only player in NBA history to score at least 600 points in the postseason for three consecutive years.
· 633 (2008), 695 (2009), 671 (2010)
· Oldest player to score 60+ points, one game: (37 years, 234 days)
Kobe Bryant’s Most Important Life Accolades
· A husband
· A father of four girls
· A son
· A brother
· A friend
· A mentor
· A model of how to live
