Mitch Richmond On Kobe Bryant: "He Was A Sponge..."

Forbes

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Kobe Bryant had all the talent in the world, but what really set him apart from his peers was his incredible work ethic.

Kobe worked harder than anybody else, dedicating countless hours in the gym perfecting his craft until the end.

In a recent interview with Fubo Sports, NBA Hall-of-Famer Mitch Richmond described his own experience with Kobe's insane work ethic, describing what Kobe would do when somebody used a move against him:

“Playing with Kobe was… like he was a sponge,” Richmond said. "You would go and play a game, a guy would do a move on him. The next day, he was working on that move. I mean working on the move the guy just did on him. He just took it all in.”

If you're familiar at all with Kobe, the story will come as no surprise. He always looked for ways to get better, and he expected the same from his teammates as well.

Back when Julius Randle was a Laker, Kobe pushed him to get out there and work.

We flew in after a Wednesday night game, and the Mavs game wasn’t until Friday late, which meant we had an off day in Dallas. So guys were definitely going out that night. Me, I’ve got family, I’ve got a bunch of friends texting and whatnot, with this plan and that plan. Y’all have to keep in mind I’m 20 years old at this time. You can imagine where my head is at.

“So then we get off the plane, we ride to the hotel, and — ha. Wow. I will never forget this. We’re coming up on the hotel in Dallas, and Kobe turns to me and he goes, ‘Julius, what you bout to do.’

“I’m like, ‘I’m about to see my family, chill with some friends, you know. Have a night.’

“And Kobe, he just cuts me off. He’s like, ‘Nah. We’re going to the gym.’

The Mamba dominated the game of basketball for 20 years, going on to become an 18x All-Star, 15x All-NBA player, 5x NBA Champion, and first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.

After retiring from the NBA in 2016, he went on to do many amazing things before his passing in January of 2020.

To this day, his attitude and mentality stand as a shining example for countless fans around the world.