Kobe Bryant's work ethic was unmatched, here are 24 examples

Scott Davis,Connor PerrettJan 26, 2023, 22:56 IST

Kobe Bryant was known for his work ethic.Jason Miller/Getty Images

Kobe Bryant died three years ago, on January 26, 2020 at 41 in a helicopter crash that also killed his 13-year-old daughter.
Bryant had been known for his work ethic, which helped him win numerous NBA championships, titles, and even an Academy Award.
Fellow NBA stars, like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and LeBron James, had mentioned Bryant's intense work ethic.

Kobe Bryant, who died at age 41 on January 26, 2020 following a helicopter crash, was well-known for his work ethic. Just hours before Bryant's death, LeBron James remarked that Bryant's work ethic had inspired him throughout his own NBA career.

Bryant already had championships, scoring titles, and MVPs to his name in his two-decade career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Still, with basketball in his rearview mirror, Bryant turned to filmmaking and in 2018 won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

Tales of Bryant's work ethic have become folklore. From his early morning workouts to marathon shooting sessions, to a relentless desire to improve himself, here are some of our favorite examples of Bryant's work ethic.

Tony Manfred contributed to this report.

Michael Jordan, Kobe's idol, said Kobe was the only person to ever approach Jordan's work ethic.

Vince Bucci/Getty

He used to show up to practice at 5 a.m. and leave at 7 a.m. ... in high school.

YouTube

He'd make high school teammates play one-on-one games to 100.

Kobe Bryant has 40 interviews of others talking about him that may never see the light of day.Getty Images

Former Lakers player and head coach Byron Scott said he once found an 18-year-old Bryant shooting in a dark gym two hours before practice.

Mark J. Terrill/AP

Former NBA player and Lakers teammate John Celestand said Kobe was always the first player in the gym, even when he was hurt.

Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant dives for a loose ball during their NBA game against the Chicago Bulls in Los Angeles, March 10, 2013.REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

He once played left-handed because he injured his right shoulder.

Stacy Revere/Getty

Shaquille O'Neal said Kobe used to practice without a ball.

He worked out harder and earlier than even the NBA's best players.

Stephen Dunn/Getty

According to a Team USA trainer, Kobe once held a workout from 4:15 a.m. to 11 a.m., refusing to leave the gym until he made 800 shots.

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty

He used to keep players after practice as "guinea pigs."

Harry How/Getty

An NBA scout said in 2008: "Allen Iverson loves to play when the lights come on. Kobe loves doing the s--- before the lights come on."

Jed Jacobsohn/ALLSPORT/Getty Images

He was all about improvement, even in the tiniest of ways. He had Nike shave a few millimeters off the bottom of his shoes in 2008 to get "a hundredth of a second better reaction time."

Nike

He was all about improvement, even in the tiniest of ways. He had Nike shave a few millimeters off the bottom of his shoes in 2008 to get "a hundredth of a second better reaction time."

He decided to lose 16 pounds for the Olympics in 2012, citing the need to keep his knees pain-free.

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

He iced his knees for 20 minutes three times per day and did acupuncture so he wouldn't get hurt.

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

He was strict about what he ate.

Darren Abate/Getty

He used to watch film of himself at halftime.

Sean M. Haffey/Getty

He went through super intense workouts on game days.

YouTube

He says he "SHATTERED" the normal timetable for Achilles surgery recovery

Jeff Gross/Getty

He once completely scrapped a documentary about himself and started from scratch because he didn't like the way it turned out.

Stephen Dunn/Getty

He says he taught himself to play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on piano by ear.

@kobebryant

Bryant's most recent obsession was "storytelling."

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

He cold-called business people and entrepreneurs to learn more about them and the secrets to success.

Hannah Foslien/Getty

Billionaire investor Chris Sacca said Kobe was relentless in learning more about investing after Sacca told him to do his homework.

Jerod Harris/Getty

He texted business leaders at all hours of the day, including 3 a.m., to pick their brains.

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

This quote about how he wanted to be remembered: "To think of me as a person that's overachieved, that would mean a lot to me. That means I put a lot of work in and squeezed every ounce of juice out of this orange that I could."

Harry How/Getty Images

This quote about how he wanted to be remembered: "To think of me as a person that's overachieved, that would mean a lot to me. That means I put a lot of work in and squeezed every ounce of juice out of this orange that I could."

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Kobe Bryant's work ethic was unmatched, here are 24 examples

Michael Jordan, Kobe's idol, said Kobe was the only person to ever approach Jordan's work ethic.

He used to show up to practice at 5 a.m. and leave at 7 a.m. ... in high school.

He'd make high school teammates play one-on-one games to 100.

Former Lakers player and head coach Byron Scott said he once found an 18-year-old Bryant shooting in a dark gym two hours before practice.

Former NBA player and Lakers teammate John Celestand said Kobe was always the first player in the gym, even when he was hurt.

He once played left-handed because he injured his right shoulder.

Shaquille O'Neal said Kobe used to practice without a ball.

He worked out harder and earlier than even the NBA's best players.

According to a Team USA trainer, Kobe once held a workout from 4:15 a.m. to 11 a.m., refusing to leave the gym until he made 800 shots.

He used to keep players after practice as "guinea pigs."

An NBA scout said in 2008: "Allen Iverson loves to play when the lights come on. Kobe loves doing the s--- before the lights come on."

He was all about improvement, even in the tiniest of ways. He had Nike shave a few millimeters off the bottom of his shoes in 2008 to get "a hundredth of a second better reaction time."

He decided to lose 16 pounds for the Olympics in 2012, citing the need to keep his knees pain-free.

He iced his knees for 20 minutes three times per day and did acupuncture so he wouldn't get hurt.

He was strict about what he ate.

He used to watch film of himself at halftime.

He went through super intense workouts on game days.

He says he "SHATTERED" the normal timetable for Achilles surgery recovery

He once completely scrapped a documentary about himself and started from scratch because he didn't like the way it turned out.

He says he taught himself to play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on piano by ear.

Bryant's most recent obsession was "storytelling."

He cold-called business people and entrepreneurs to learn more about them and the secrets to success.

Billionaire investor Chris Sacca said Kobe was relentless in learning more about investing after Sacca told him to do his homework.

He texted business leaders at all hours of the day, including 3 a.m., to pick their brains.

This quote about how he wanted to be remembered: "To think of me as a person that's overachieved, that would mean a lot to me. That means I put a lot of work in and squeezed every ounce of juice out of this orange that I could."