A few years after Kobe Bryant’s rookie season, the stories started to come out. Byron Scott came into the gym several hours before practice, and he could hear a basketball in the darkened court. The lights were not even on yet, and he could just barely make out the 18-year-old Kobe practicing his jump shot. Shaq would walk in on him late at night, cutting back and forth, spinning, pretending like he was dribbling and shooting. Other players would claim that no matter how early they came, Kobe was already there, on the court practicing. Before the first Olympics, Dwayne Wade would recount that they would all be waking up, crawling out of bed, and getting breakfast when Kobe would come walking in, already in a full sweat from his 3-hour morning workout routine. The point of the story is that he was always there.
Which makes you wonder. Was it raw talent, or was it simply that he put more time in than anyone else? I tend to think a little of the first and most of the latter. He just kept consistently showing up, every day, for his entire life. By the time he got to the NBA straight out of high school, he had already put in more time on the practice court than most season veterans. There might have been 1 or 2 players that could match him on the court in a particular skill set, but no one outworked him. No one. This is a pure case study of sheer work ethic. It was just showing up. Sure, he had the height and some clear talents, but the most important ingredient is what we are capable of. Being the one that is there.
You may think that someone outshines you or is better than you. That is always going to be the case. Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones were the starting guards for the Lakers in the 1996 season. By the time they got to the playoffs, Kobe was starting in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. They lost, but Kobe showed up. I remember him missing the game-winning shot that night. However, I remember the look on his face more. Sheer determination. He would not be taking any time off that summer. When he returned, he doubled his stats the following year, and by the time 1999 rolled around, he was the best in the league. He would call Michael Jordan at 3 am and get advice, then go back to the lab. Even when he was the best, he outworked everyone.
There have been others in sporting history with this same drive to always show up, but I remember Kobe’s trajectory the most. I read this quote from Kobe, which encapsulates the entire concept:
“Those times when you get up early and you work hard. Those times you stay up late and you work hard. Those times when you don’t feel like working. You’re too tired. You don’t want to push yourself, but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream.”
However, I did not intend this article to be about Kobe. I intended this article to be about all those times when you show up to work, to practice, and to class only to be trodden on. To be kicked, beat up, pushed over, and intimidated. All those times when people laugh, poke fun, and roll their eyes. Just remember this one thought. You just keep showing up every day, and one day in the not-too-distant future, they will idolize you, and praise you. They will call you gifted, talented, and the best. However, you will know the truth. You showed up. You were the one that was there when no one else was.
