Kobe Bryant played his last All-Star game last weekend, but while the news reports were mostly reflective of his achievements, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar mostly wallowed in the competition provided by the best the NBA has to offer.
In an interview with USA Today after the All-Star game where the West defeated the East 196-173, Kobe Bryant shared that he's most proud of the fact that his work ethic has become the standard for the younger players to emulate.
He narrated, "It's the stories of when they first came into the league and they were matching up against me, and just kind of the little things that -- an elbow here or a steal here, and then wanting to earn my respect at an early age, right?"
"Coming into the league, playing against me, wanting to prove to me that they were as competitive," he added. "When I hear those kind of stories, man, that makes me feel real good.
The work ethic of Kobe Bryant has become quite legendary over the years, with news reports of young players or even veterans who played for the Los Angeles Lakers sharing anecdotes that only affirmed his competitive drive in a span of two decades.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar said stories about these young bucks trying to take on the old lion are only filtered through news outlets, but he never heard these stories uttered to him by the players themselves until his last All-Star game.
On his last All-Star game, Kobe Bryant has become quite reflective.
"I'm looking around the room and seeing guys that I'm playing with that are tearing the league up that were like four during my first All-Star Game," he said. "It's true. I mean, how many players can say they've played 20 years and actually have seen the game go through three, four generations, you know what I mean? It's not sad at all."
"I mean, I'm really happy and honored to be here and see this."
Indeed, it would be a tragic news when Kobe Bryant-probably the final connection to the time when Michael Jordan was still the dominant force--finally walks away from the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA.
