Kobe Bryant: Top 5 moments with the Los Angeles Lakers

#4 Achilles Free Throws

The next moment shows just how dedicated Kobe was to the game of basketball, his team, and how deadset he is on winning. Throughout his career, Kobe was explained as being almost insane with the thought of winning and being the best basketball player of all-time.

Even early in his career, he was described as an assassin who was focused on nothing besides the game of basketball. He would oftentimes skip going out to clubs and partying with teammates even in his early 20s.

Bryant instead would take the time to go to the gym and improve on his craft. It was this insane work ethic that would make him into one of the best players the game has ever seen. This mindset bled into his leadership style as well.

Many think that Kobe’s way of leading is a bit extreme in which he would oftentimes curse out teammates and even get into physical altercations with them. He believed that this would be a way to get them to work as hard as him or as hard as he thought they possibly could.

He was also a leader that would lead by example, Kobe would never ask someone to do something or expect anyone to do anything that he himself would not do or was not doing already. This leadership style shined brightly in a game against the Golden State Warriors in a must-win game for a Lakers team that was in contention for the playoffs, Kobe had logged heavy minutes in the game which was a common theme of the season.

This could be part of the reason as to why Kobe would tear his Achilles in this game, however, knowing just how important the game was for the Lakers, Kobe did not trust anyone else to take the free throws than himself. He made both then walked off to the locker room just minutes after suffering one of the most serious injuries in basketball.