Derek Fisher Praises Kobe Bryant For Never Wasting His Greatness

Derek Fisher spoke on Byron Scott's 'Fast Break' podcast about Kobe Bryant. Fisher struggled to reflect on his emotions when it came to Bryant's tragic passing but knew it was alright because Kobe lived a very fulfilled life, and he never wasted a second of it. He lauded Bryant for doing everything he wanted to do and doing it in the best way.

"Man it's so weird, I know he's physically not here, and there are days I have to remind myself that he's not. We still feel his presence. Sometimes when I'm preparing my mind to talk about him... It hurts to say 'Was'. As though he's not here."

"But I know it's okay. What he was trying to inspire other people to do, he left this place physically not having left anything on the table..."

"He didn't waste his greatness on not waking up early, not putting the work in or not stepping out of his comfort zone and trying new things, and becoming a writer or a producer of content. He didn't waste his greatness."

(3:50 onwards)

Derek Fisher was clearly struggling to speak about the impact Bryant's passing had on him emotionally, noting that sometimes it is hard to accept that Kobe is no longer with us. But he spoke beautifully about the way Kobe Bryant lived his life, and how he had no reason to feel any regret or scorn about the way things turned out.

Bryant was incredibly successful because of the mentality he had growing up. For Kobe, to be the best, he had to work the hardest out of everyone else, and he would do just that, never settling for anything less than 100%. And that approach brought him success on and off the court.

Kobe's Mentality Set Him Apart From Everyone

Kobe Bryant was always uber-talented. But it was his mindset and mentality that put him in a different class. For Kobe, it wasn't just good enough to be talented. He felt that hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard enough, and he made sure that would never be the case with him.

Recently, his former teammate and coach Bryon Scott noted that Bryant was special despite not being the most talented player on the court because of his drive and will to win. Kobe was willing to pay whatever price, whether that meant early mornings, grueling training sessions, or long games if it meant he could win.

It is this drive that allowed Kobe to find incredible success in the NBA. During his 20-year career, Bryant won 5 NBA championships, 2 Finals MVPs, 1 regular season MVP, and made 18 All-Star teams, 15 All-NBA teams, and 12 All-Defensive teams.

For his accomplishments, Kobe was memorialized in the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame, and named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary team. Bryant is fondly remembered as the greatest Los Angeles Lakers player of all time, and to many, the greatest player of all time outright.

Related: ESPN' Tim Legler Shares His Top 10 Greatest Players Of All Time

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