Top 30 Kobe Bryant Quotes About Hard Work & Work Ethic

The best Kobe Bryant quotes about his elite work ethic:

Kobe Bryant's work ethic was legendary. It's what set him apart from so many other basketball players and is one of the defining characteristics of Kobe's infamous Mamba Mentality.

Kobe was one of the most dedicated and disciplined athletes in the NBA and, all of sports really. His relentless pursuit of excellence and commitment to improvement were evident throughout his career. Kobe knew that to be the best, he had to put in more work than every other player, and that's exactly what he did.

Kobe was known for his early morning workouts, often starting as early as 4 a.m. As he said himself, “I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my game, but I also wasn’t willing to sacrifice my family time. So I sacrificed sleep, and that was that.” By starting so early in the morning, Kobe was able to put in the work and get better while his competitors were sleeping.

Kobe's work ethic extended beyond the court. He was also known for his obsessive analysis of game film, often watching film on the plane while others were sleeping, or at night while others were partying.

Kobe studied his own games, those of his opponents, and footage of basketball legends who came before him. He broke down plays, strategies, and moves that opponents used. This attention to detail helped Kobe improve his basketball IQ and his ability to outsmart opponents on the court.

These are just a few of the examples of Kobe's extreme dedication to working hard and improving every single day.

The following Kobe Bryant quotes about practice, work ethic, and hard work serve as a powerful example of what it takes to separate yourself from your competition and achieve greatness.

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Famous Kobe Bryant Hard Work Quotes

1. "I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success."

2. "Each moment of my life I was dreaming of how great I could be, and continued working hard. Each time I closed my eyes I could see me shining bright like a sun." 

3. "I can't relate to lazy people. We don't speak the same language. I don't understand you. I don't want to understand you."

4. "You can't stop people from trying to limit your dreams, but you can stop it from becoming a reality. Your dreams are up to you. I encourage you to always be curious, always seek out things you love and always work hard once you find it."

5. "The only way I was able to pick up details on the court, to be aware of the minutiae on the hardwood, was by training my mind to do that off the court and focusing on every detail in my daily life. By reading, by paying attention in class and in practice, by working, I strengthened my focus. By doing all of that, I strengthened my ability to be present and not have a wandering mind."

6. "I'm chasing perfection."

7. “One of the main takeaways was that you have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light. Meaning: It takes a lot of work to be successful, and people will celebrate that success, will celebrate that flash.”

8. “I never felt outside pressure. I knew what I wanted to accomplish, and I knew how much work it took to achieve those goals. I then put in the work and trusted in it. Besides, the expectations I placed on myself were higher than what anyone expected from me.”

9. “From the beginning, I wanted to be the best. I had a constant craving, a yearning, to improve and be the best. I never needed any external forces to motivate me.”

10. "A lot of people say they want to be great, but they're not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness. They have other concerns, whether important or not, and they spread themselves out. That's totally fine. After all, greatness is not for everybody."

11. “Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.”

12. “I see the beauty in getting up in the morning and being in pain because I know all the hard work that it took to get to this point. So, I’m not, I’m not sad about [retiring]. I’m very appreciative of what I’ve had.” 

13. "I saw you come in and I wanted you to know that it doesn’t matter how hard you work, that I’m willing to work harder than you."

14. "Those times when you stay up late and you work hard; those times when don’t feel like working — you’re too tired, you don’t want to push yourself — but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream. That’s the dream. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. And if you guys can understand that, what you’ll see happen is that you won’t accomplish your dreams, your dreams won’t come true, something greater will."

15. "As a kid, I would work tirelessly on adding elements to my game. I would see something I liked in person or on film, go practice it immediately, practice it more the next day, and then go out and use it. By the time I reached the league, I had a short learning curve. I could see something, download it, and have it down pat."

More quotes: 24 Best Kobe Bryant Mamba Mentality Quotes  >>

More Motivational Kobe Quotes About Work Ethic 

16. "Obsess to find ways to win. Work ethic separates the great from the good."

17. "Have a maniacal work ethic. You want to over-prepare so that luck becomes a product of design."

18. "It’s the one thing you can control. You are responsible for how people remember you—or don’t. So don’t take it lightly."

19. "Stay hungry. Dominate each day with ambition unknown to humankind."

20. "Learn every aspect of your craft and substance will follow."

21. “Trust me, setting things up right from the beginning will avoid a ton of tears and heartache.”

22. "I want to learn how to become the best basketball player in the world. And if I'm going to learn that, I gotta learn from the best. Kids go to school to be doctors or lawyers, so forth and so on and that's where they study. My place to study is from the best."

23. “If you want to be a better player, you have to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more.”

24. “I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my game, but I also wasn’t willing to sacrifice my family time. So I sacrificed sleep, and that was that.”

25. "Dedication sees dreams come true."

26. "I want to see if I can. I don't know if I can. I want to find out. I want to see. I'm going to do what I always do: I'm going to break it down to its smallest form, smallest detail, and go after it. Day by day, one day at a time."

27. "At the end of 2003, my game was complete. Shooting, defense, using the dribble, transition, midrange stuff was all there. Then it was about fine-tuning and trying to improve in each area."

28. "Can I jump over two or three guys like I used to? No. Am I as fast as I used to be? No, but I still have the fundamentals and smarts. That's what enables me to still be a dominant player. As a kid growing up, I never skipped steps. I always worked on fundamentals because I know athleticism is fleeting."

29. “Rest at the end, not in the middle.”

30. “What I mean by that is: if I wanted to implement something new into my game, I’d see it and try incorporating it immediately. I wasn’t scared of missing, looking bad, or being embarrassed. That’s because I always kept the end result, the long game, in my mind. I always focused on the fact that I had to try something to get it, and once I got it, I’d have another tool in my arsenal. If the price was a lot of work and a few missed shots, I was OK with that.”

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