Kobe Bryant: 5 Things We’ll Miss Most About The Mamba

The Toughness

There are endless stories of Bryant playing through all kinds of injuries and illnesses throughout the course of his career. No matter the ailment, Bryant always found a way to not only play through the pain, but also continue to play at a superstar-caliber level.

Bryant was a product of an era where the league might have been at its most physical in the 1990s, which bred his legendary toughness. His ironman mentality often stood as a stark contradiction to other stars in the modern era where flailing one’s arms is enough to draw a foul and players sit out due to flus and cramps.

Bryant played through everything from a broken index finger in 2009-10 to a stomach flu in 2012 to a separated shoulder in the beginning of the 2014-15 season. Even in the face of the most severe injury of his career, Bryant displayed extraordinary toughness, attempting to reattach his torn Achilles’ tendon and refusing to leave the game until he took his two free throws.

Bryant had an incredible ability to sacrifice his body for the sake of success, and fans will always remember that ultimate toughness that caused him to give all he had even when he wasn’t 100 percent.

Next: The Work Ethic