August 24 (8/24) will always be known as a day to celebrate and remember Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
Of course, both 8 and 24 were his numbers during his time in the league.
All these years later, people remember Bryant as a figure in popular sports unlike any other.
It wasn’t just his personality and attitude that garnered him such devotion and attention.
🐍 18x All-Star
🐍 15x All-NBA selection
🐍 12x All-Defense selection
🐍 5x NBA champion
🐍 2x Finals MVP
🐍 2x Scoring Champion
🐍 2008 NBA MVP
🐍 NBA 75th Anniversary TeamAnd countless iconic moments and memories to last a lifetime. 8️⃣/2️⃣4️⃣ Mamba Day 🐍 pic.twitter.com/MRmPWPp8Tu
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) August 24, 2022
It is important to remember that Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA selection, 12-time All-Defense selection, 5-time champion, 2-time Finals MVP, 2-time Scoring Champion, 2008 MVP, and a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
If you were to simply look at Bryant’s accomplishments on paper, you would see one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
But there was so much more to the Black Mamba and today all of that is celebrated.
The One & Only Kobe
Watching Bryant play in his prime was something truly unique, something special that had to be seen to be believed.
The man was wildly talented, of course, but the way that he would fight through every single game was unparalleled.
There were quite a few years when Bryant played on a very weak Lakers squad.
But that didn’t stop him from pouring his heart out on the court every night, pushing through injuries, weak teammates, and ridiculously tough competition.
This sort of determination is known as the “Mamba Mentality” and people are still talking about it.
Simply put, there was no one else like Bryant – no one who could play like he did while demanding so much from themselves too.
8/24 is now a day to talk about and remember Bryant and his rare, one-of-a-kind skill set and mindset.
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