Kobe Bryant Appreciates the Influence He Has on Other NBA Players

Increasingly, as he travels through the twilight of his NBA career, Kobe Bryant has become quite reflective. The Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar guard knows that he has had an impact on other players’ training habits, and he’s proud of the fact that he has pushed others to work a little harder on their game. From ESPN: “At some point in the last couple of seasons, Kobe Bryant started saving away the fresh pair of sneakers he wears every game instead of giving them out to fans or locker room attendants because he says he’s ‘become sentimental in my old age.’ As a veteran with 17 seasons in the NBA and as 34-year-old man who has spent literally half his life in the league, Bryant has also become quite comfortable with discussing the not-too-distant end to his sterling career. […] ‘Just by observation of some of the younger players that I face now, they wind up having a similar mentality that I had,’ Bryant said when asked how he has changed the sport during his time as a pro. ‘Because growing up, they were obviously watching me when I was 21, 22 years old and just kind of by any means necessary get things done, not afraid of the big moment and extremely competitive. They all have these work ethics now and most of them get up at five in the morning to train like I do. It’s pretty cool.'”