A REVIEW OF THE MAMBA MENTALITY

Many greats have stepped on the hardwood and have led legendary careers but I don’t think any players mindset compares to Kobe Bryant’s. The Black Mamba and his mamba mentality have given much inspiration to others and made Kobe the killer he was. In the book we get a chance to pick his brain and before I go any further all I have to say is that I am speechless.

The work that Kobe Bryant put in and the routines he performed all contributed to his success in the league. His pregame routines to his postgame routines and the way he dealt with injuries. Everything he did was to prepare himself for the games and I may try some of these same workouts.

Mamba Mentality

The detail in which Kobe describes plays and preparations is spot on. At one point he begins to describe how he would defend Allen Iverson, “The other mechanism I used to cover Allen Iverson also involved timing. I would pay attention to the amount of time it took from him getting the ball to attacking.” Very small detail that actually gave Kobe the advantage because he would begin to back up and take away the attack since he already had it timed. He named Tracy McGrady his “hardest matchup” and goes into detail from his positioning down to his footwork and finally how Kobe would counter it.

The attention to detail is just phenomenal to me, so many things that when I watch film I would never look for but now I can definitely have an advantage. Kobe describes every great and bad aspect of his career and he leaves absolutely nothing out. It was insane when he brings up the fact that he read the referees handbook and learned all the positions of the Referees in every situation. Kobe says “I would get away with holds, travels, and all sorts of minor violations simply because I took the time to understand the official’s limitations”. How f****** smart is that? This book opened my eyes to his greatness and solidified to me that if he is not in your top 5 then you are crazy. Again it is the detail in which Kobe describes how players defended them or how he would counter players that leaves you in shock. How one player literally dissected the game of basketball and how one legend crafted himself into one of the best 5 to ever play the game.

In reality whether you are a reader or not if you are a hooper this is a must-read. It is inspiring and teaches you a-lot about basketball.

Overall my honest opinion the book is a 10/10 and worth every penny