Game Changers: The Conscious Culture Men With Vision 2020 Edition | Page 11

THE BLACK
MAMBA
Curated by Lydia Pierre
Kobe Bryant created his
'Black Mamba' alter-ego
as a way to get through
the lowest point of his
career
As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a
reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite
by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, and
he was named an All-Star by his second
season. Despite a feud with
teammate Shaquille O'Neal, the pair led the
Lakers to three consecutive NBA
championships from 2000 to 2002. After the
Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was
traded and Bryant became the cornerstone
of the Lakers. He led the NBA in scoring
during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. In
2006, he scored a career-high 81 points; the
second most points scored in a single
game in league history, behind Wilt
Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962.
Bryant led the team to two consecutive
championships in 2009 and 2010, and was
named NBA Finals MVP on both occasions.
He continued to be among the top players in
the league through 2013, when he suffered
a torn Achilles tendon at age 34. Although he
recovered from that injury, he suffered
season-ending injuries to his knee and
shoulder, respectively, in the following two
seasons. Citing his physical decline, Bryant
retired after the 2015–16 season.
At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant
became the youngest player in league
history to reach 30,000 career points. He
became the all-time leading scorer in
Lakers franchise history on February 1,
2010, surpassing Jerry West. Bryant was
also the first guard in NBA history to play
at least 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star
designations are the second most all time,
while it is the record for most consecutive
appearances as a starter. Bryant's four All-
Star MVP Awards are tied with Bob
Pettit for the most in NBA history. At
the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, he
won two gold medals as a member of
the U.S. national team. In 2018, he won
the Academy Award for Best Animated
Short Film for his 2017 film Dear
Basketball.
Bryant died at age 41 along with his 13-
year-old daughter Gianna and seven
others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas,
California.
Kobe Bryant's nickname is "The Black
Mamba," a name he gave himself. But
for Bryant, the moniker is more than a
nickname. It is an alter-ego he created
to get through the lowest point of his
career.
In his auto-documentary "Muse," Bryant
revealed that he created The Black
Mamba as a way to deal with the
struggles he was going through off the
court in 2003 and 2004.
"I went from a person who was at the
top of his game, had everything coming,
to a year later, having absolutely no idea
where life is going or if you are even
going to be a part of life as we all know
it," Bryant said in the documentary.
"I had to separate myself," Kobe
explains. "It felt like there were so many
things coming at once. It was just
becoming very, very confusing. I had to
organize things. So I created The Black
Mamba."Bryant went on to explain that
"Kobe" was tasked with dealing with all
his "personal challenges" and "The Black
Mamba" handled business on the court.