Kobe Quotes

Most guys don’t want to play with Kobe.

I think everybody’s ideal is to have a wonderful career with one franchise, like Kobe and Tim Duncan.

Kobe’s been criticized unfairly. He’s in a ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ situation. If he passes too much, they say he’s not shooting. If he shoots, he’s called selfish.

Kobe is a unique individual and he is very headstrong.

I wore the number 24 in high school my freshman, sophomore year because of him. I wore Kobe Bryant basketball shoes because of Kobe Bryant. Every time I laced up my basketball shoes, I felt like I had Kobe Bryant with me. I had a little part of him – I had his jumper, his fadeaway.

I like Kobe, I like the way he approaches the game. He’s a warrior.

If I would compare anybody to Michael Jordan, it would be Kobe Bryant.

Except for a short period at the end of World War II, I attended an elementary school affiliated to Kobe University from ages six to twelve and then moved on to Nada Middle and High School from ages twelve to eighteen. I enjoyed many out-door activities in my youth.

Honestly, I don’t listen to nobody else’s music but my own. It’s kind of like sports to me. You don’t see Kobe Bryant at a LeBron James game – he just works on his own game. And that’s what I do. I only listen to me, so I can criticize and analyze and all those things.

Me and Kobe are always going to talk trash and get into it. But when he talks trash to everybody else, some people tend to shy away.

At Kobe, whither I fled from Hong Kong, I took a step of great importance. I cut off my cue, which had been growing all my life.

I don’t want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.

I’m a real mellow guy, for the most part – yeah, no, not with Kobe. By far my favorite player of all time. His career was basically my childhood.

I really like Damian Lillard, I like Iman Shumpert’s raps, Stephen Jackson, Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant. Those are my favorite ones. I like Lonzo Ball, don’t know about him as a rapper yet, but I know he’s cool.

Huge Kobe fan growing up. My dog’s name is Kobe.

I’ve always been a Kobe fan; he’s one of my favorite players.

We live in an impatient world. Everybody is always looking for the next big Kobe, the next big LeBron, the next big Twitter.

When you played Kobe, it was something different. When you went to L.A., you made sure your shoes were tied extra tight. You made sure you got sleep, you made sure you ate better. He just made you better.

I’m not going to let Kobe throw elbows at me.

Kobe Bryant is a terrific offensive rebounder.

I had the Kobe jersey. I would do the Kobe walk. I would walk around the house doing the Kobe stare-down face. Anything you can name, I was idolizing him, trying to be like him.

I’ve been watching Kobe ever since I can remember.

Kobe is Kobe. He is one of the best to ever play this game. Given the opportunity, he can embarrass you.

I would always ask Rob Pelinka what Kobe was doing to be who he was. How to get his game to the next level – how does he get that good?

Every since I started playing basketball, I wanted to be just like Kobe. To get to see him play in person, and to meet him, was just a dream come true.

When you’re Kobe Bryant, you’ve got every little young guy coming at you every night, and it’s you who’s still got to carry the team. When he tore his Achilles… I just felt bad. I knew he was going to come back and be Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant is one of those guys I never imagined being on the same court with. It was always an aspiration.

But I don’t look forward to the day that Kobe Bryant’s not in purple and gold.

Kobe is probably an idol for so many players. He was such a great player so you wanted to be like Kobe. He’s a legend that never dies.

I think Kobe Bryant was great.

Millions of guys play millions of basketball games every day of the week at the playground or the YMCA. But LeBron James gets $20 million a year because he can jam on all of those guys. We’re always going to want to see LeBron and Kobe go at it.

I think there’s a lot of different ways to win. You’ve seen teams that win championships with a super-duper star like Kobe Bryant. Those championship teams with Michael Jordan certainly had a great, great player.

I think nobody should rash things and try to find the successor of Kobe Bryant.

I grew up – obviously I’m from Philly, where Kobe is from, so we grew up idolizing Kobe. He meant everything to us.

With MJ and Kobe, what you get is you get people who is talking trash to you and backing it up.

I’m the biggest Laker fan. Probably more of a Kobe fan.

I guess, if it wasn’t for Jordan, there would be no LeBron or Kobe who plays like that.

Kobe is worth every penny, and I’d never had any doubt that he’d contribute to this team.

I want to be a winner. But you can see Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Wayne Gretzky – that kind of people – where you can see and say yeah, this is players who win everything. I want to be in this page, too.

Kobe made an impact on basketball in a big way. He came in the League when he was 17 years old, but he was working on his game every day… The way he played, people all around the world loved the passion that he put in for basketball.

I love Kobe Bryant, was a Lakers fan for sure.

During my rookie year, Kobe was always on me. Get in the gym early with him, getting shots and stuff like that.

I grew up a huge fan of Kobe.

My whole thing is if you want to do it, then do it. Kobe told me this, but he said, ‘You don’t wanna lay all your eggs in one basket, but you wanna lay all your eggs in one basket.’ If you wanna do something and be great at it, that’s what you’re going to have to specialize in. Just take it and run.

Kobe Bryant was the reason I started playing basketball – always was and will be my favorite player of all time. I love the way he could get his shot off, his footwork down in the post, just his determination to be the best player.

Kobe enjoys that situation. Stepping up and making the big basket or being involved in a key play.

I didn’t like it in the beginning, but later on, if I was in Jerry West’s shoes, I would do the same thing. I would trade myself for Kobe, no-brainer.

People talk about Kobe’s 81-point game, the second-highest scoring game in NBA history. I saw the game. I don’t care if it was 79, 81 – I just remember the game. I remember the moves. I remember the shots. I remember the beauty of it. The numbers? What he shot from the field? I don’t care.

I didn’t work out with Kobe. I don’t know where that came from. I wish I could have.

It’s hard not to respect Kobe Bryant’s game: He’s one of the all-time greats.

I want to be that type of guy – I want to be Kobe Bryant. I want to be Tim Duncan. I want to be Dirk Nowitzki – stay with one team my whole career.

I would get mad if Kobe was like, ‘I’m not going to shoot that much tonight.’ No, no, no, that’s your gift. The people want to see you do what you’re going to do.

Obviously, Kobe is one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

Kobe’s legacy is definitely one of the best players to play this game ever.

Guys like LeBron, Chris Paul, Kobe… They all speak to me. It’s just insane that all these top tier guys who have been in the All-Star game for so many years actually know who I am. I mean not in a million years did I think that Kobe would speak to me.

It was a lovely story that I finished my career with Kobe, with somebody who I was traded for. I have a lot of respect for the guy. I think he’s definitely, by far, the best talent that I ever, ever played with.

The first investment he made, he like made literally a 50x-plus. I mean that’s Kobe. He was a winner in absolutely everything he did.

Having Kobe doing an entire video with me was awesome. I’d love to do that again, that was legit.

I think, at the end of the game, guys gotta trust themselves more. I think sometimes – not myself, but sometimes, guys – they look to Kobe too much.

Kobe Bryant is a walking stat himself. He doesn’t have to explain what he brings to the table.

I might not be Shaq, but I can be Kobe, you know?

Kobe taught people how to work hard, he taught you how to work hard. He gave you the blueprint of what you should do to be a successful basketball player, and work hard.

I met Kobe during my first year, before a game.

There are very few LeBron James and Kobe Bryants.

I had an opportunity to meet Kobe and he’s just an unbelievable person.

I don’t really celebrate victories. Kobe Bryant just kept playing. Michael Jordan just kept playing.

Making it to the league, that was my dream. But my mom saw to it that we watched our share of the WNBA too. Greatness is greatness, right?? And as much as I learned about that from seeing Kobe win his rings… I also learned about it from seeing Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslie win theirs.

I don’t need no advice from Kobe Bryant.

I seen an interview with Kobe; he said what separated him from a lot of people was everyone thought 30 points was a lot. He said he never set himself a limit, and that always sticks in my head. He said he’d score 100 if he could. So he never had a limit, I don’t put a limit on anything.

I love LeBron, but Kobe was the first player I actually considered my favorite.

I’m much more starstruck by athletes than I am by actors, and I think I saw Kobe Bryant at a basketball party, and I just kind of froze. He’s monstrous.

I played against Kobe a lot when I was in high school during the summers, even in college, just being that guy in L.A. coming up. He always gave me advice here and there, and even the smallest things stuck with me. I watched every single thing that Kobe did, every game, every move. He made me a student of the game.

My friends, they all say that I’m turning Hollywood. Big-time. And I want to be that. I want to be a guy who’s bigger than what they say. You look at Kobe. Michael Jordan. Somebody like Michael Jackson. Those guys are bigger than life. I strive to be that.

Kobe was a legend.

The Kobe craze really annoyed me. Most of the practitioners had no real understanding of the product and were abusing it and exploiting it in terrible and ridiculous ways. Kobe beef should not be used in a hamburger. It’s completely pointless.

Whatever you see in games, Kobe demands more in practice.

Kevin Garnett was a great player, but he wasn’t Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant, to me, is still the best basketball player in my mind. He played with me and he was in my era. I still love him to death. He’s a little brother to me.

There’s no doubt that there is star treatment. It’s discussed in the meetings. Obviously, people don’t pay an enormous amount of money to sit in those courtside seats to see players like Kobe, LeBron, Shaq – all the greats – sit on the bench and be in foul trouble.

Kobe Bryant demands his teammates to be the best every night, and he’s not afraid to challenge them. He’s not afraid to challenge them publicly, he’s not afraid to challenge them in the locker room, and that’s what you need from a leader.

The basketball great Kobe Bryant started his own venture-capital firm. LeBron James has rebranded himself as not just an athlete but also an investor and entrepreneur.

I grew up being a Kobe fan, of course.

If you look at the history of the NBA, guys that came out of high school are the guys that held the NBA together. You look a Kobe Bryant, you look at a LeBron, these are household names.

In my 20s, I could just power through stuff and be fine, but now, in your 40s? It’s kind of like Kobe Bryant. He plays basketball a little bit differently than he did when he first started out.

Five years before my accident in 2003, you saw Kobe and Shaq pull up to games on bikes. Michael Jordan owned a racing team. So it wasn’t that weird that I was on a motorcycle, even though it was against team rules. You’ve got to live your life, you know? But yeah, I made a dumb choice.

I grew up in L.A., so I’m a huge Lakers fan and Kobe fan.

Kobe can play in any league.

It was great to be in the gym with Kobe. He’s so particular about the game and… why and how things work. That’s one thing I kind of love about him. If you ask him something, he’s going to tell you A, B, C, and D, and how that affects each play.

Kobe Bryant is my favorite basketball player. He takes risks. He goes for the shot. He isn’t cautious with whatever he does.

Meeting Kobe, it was of the greatest feelings ever.

Kobe was my favorite player from just the way he went about competition. He was so skilled, but his mindset and his approach were really what I took away from him more than anything. How tactical, passionate and detailed he is about the game – he really loved the game.

I always wanted to be on the same court as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

If you mention the Lakers, you think about Kobe.

Kobe’s going to challenge you and push you. If you have a certain fire, a love for the game, that doesn’t bother you.

Kobe Bryant should know how to defend a pick and roll.

I have certain guys who I looked up to. Jordan, Kobe, those guys. Passing that on to doing my part to kind of keep that influence of basketball where it should be is kind of why I play the game.

Kobe is part of the Laker family and he always will be. There’s not many players who play 18-19 years with the same franchise, and it’s important to us that he has a chance to play his entire career with the Lakers.

Whenever I hear people crying about Kobe yelling at people in practice or wondering whether or not LeBron is best friends with his teammates, I just roll my eyes. You know how many off-court conversations I had with the Zen-Master Phil Jackson in my entire time with the Lakers? One.

Kobe woks harder than anybody I’ve seen.

To have Kobe retire as a Laker, that to me is really important.

I’m like, ‘No, I don’t wanna be the next Shaq. I wanna be Kobe.’ So I always just dribbled the ball everywhere I went… It was kind of a natural thing. I don’t even work on it, honestly.

I always wanted to play with Kobe Bryant. I used to tease him all the time. Every time I was a free agent, I was like, ‘What’s up, bro? You got a chance to get the pit that you need. You feel me? This is your chance.’

In my head, I’m a big Kobe fan.

I was in Philadelphia when Kobe was a senior in high school and he used to come to all our practices and I would work him out.

I think the bottom line, even though there are some bumps and bruises here and there, is Kobe will lead you to victories.

Tokyo may have more money and Kyoto more culture; Nara may have more history and Kobe more style. But Osaka has the biggest heart.

Growing up in L.A., every kid wants to play for the Lakers. As a kid I went to their championship parades, bought a Kobe jersey – I went to the gym and made everybody call me Kobe – loved Shaq, loved the three-peat.

When I got traded to the Lakers in ’97, Kobe Bryant was just a rookie.

When I look back at the people who were most influential in my life, it wasn’t Kobe Bryant, it wasn’t Michael Jordan, it wasn’t Muhammad Ali. It was regular people who do, like, regular jobs in Ames, Iowa, who had impact. My hero was the secretary in the department of music – my mom.

I would like to say I do some pretty good impressions. I’m also one of the best basketball players in the world. I just chose not to go the NBA route, but people say I’m better than Kobe and LeBron.

I grew up watching Kobe and all these other dudes, but I was in love with that Oklahoma City Thunder team with James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant.

The Laker brand and name itself is fantastic. When you have a guy like Kobe Bryant in that brand also, it takes it out of this world. I think the fact that everybody sees the work ethic this guy has makes them work harder.

Part of the reason why Kobe Bryant is such a big inspiration to me is because he was shipped off to the Lakers right out of high school. He went from English class to the Great Western Forum.

There are no other Kobe Bryants.

Guys like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, they’ll take bad criticism in a good way.

I want to be me – and people know it’s me. I don’t want: ‘He’s trying to act like Kobe’ or ‘His answers are like something Kobe would’ve said.’ Nah. If it’s me, I’m going to say it.

Any free agent that would be afraid to play with Kobe Bryant is probably a loser, and I’m glad they wouldn’t come to the team.

Lakers are my boys! I’m 100 percent the biggest Kobe fan on the planet. I text him after every game to tell him what’s up.

At the end of the day, the only person to have a better Kobe sneaker game than me is Kobe himself.

Growing up in L.A., Kobe was my idol, really.

Me, growing up, I was a Kobe fan, Kobe fanatic, and just getting, just being able to just wear his shoes, it’s my favorite shoe to play in.

Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan. Not more successful. Hasn’t had a bigger economic impact. Hasn’t won more MVPs. Hasn’t won more titles. But he’s a better player.

Do you know how many teams have won three straight titles over the last 40 years? Two. Michael Jordan’s Bulls twice in the 1990s and Kobe and Shaq’s Lakers from 2000-02. LeBron would have joined that list had Miami won that third straight title.

I’ve always had a very cordial relationship with Kobe.

Kobe was like a brother to me, for sure.

In high school and stuff I would watch Kobe clips.

Everyone ‘watches Kobe when the Lakers play.

When Kobe talks, I shut up and stay out of his way.

When you play with Kobe Bryant, the ball is gonna be with him most of the time, which is understandable.

It’s been one heck of a ride. I came into the league playing with Kobe and Shaq and for Phil Jackson. Playing with Jordan. And so, it just has been a blessing. I can’t describe it any other way.

The craft of officiating is taught that people come and pay top dollar to see people like Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, all the stars, and you have to make sure when you blow the whistle against those individuals that it’s a foul that you basically can’t let go.

On the nights the Lakers played, I wouldn’t miss a second of the game. Every timeout, every commercial, I’d run to the front yard to imitate my favorite Laker, Kobe.

Would I have been a great basketball player? No. But I think I would’ve been a good basketball player, one of those grinders getting eight to 10 rebounds. I would’ve been like Kobe and been in the gym five to seven hours a day and never missed a 10-foot jump shot. I would’ve been a great role player for a team.

Kobe has a different temperament than me. We’re both competitive, but he was much more outspoken. I would let anything roll off me. Nothing bothered me. I never complained.

Michael, to me, he was an assassin. He was one of those guys that prepared himself extremely well and was relentless in his attacking. And there are a few guys who have that mentality. I think Kobe Bryant has that type of mentality, and LeBron has that type of mentality.

Kobe Bryant has always been my favorite player, and he was drafted No. 13, too, in 1996.