Kobe Bryant will perhaps be remembered most for his ‘Mamba Mentality’ or the driving force behind his unparalleled work ethic.
That work ethic inspires people even outside of the sports world, and one of the best examples of this is actor and comedian Kevin Hart.
Hart is one of the most popular entertainment figures in the world today. Growing up in Philadelphia where Bryant went to high school, he had the same aspirations that many young kids have: he wanted to go to the NBA. While it seems absurd to think of Hart as an athlete, he genuinely believed he had a shot until he attended a La Salle basketball camp in Philadelphia with Bryant.
Hart shared the incredible story of this basketball camp and how Bryant — who was the No. 1 high school player in the nation — attended the camp simply to work on his left hand, via Bleacher Report:
.@KevinHart4real tells an incredible story about Kobe’s unparalleled work ethic and focus
Mamba went an entire camp in high school without using his right hand pic.twitter.com/6f5fJ4kBhB
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 5, 2020
It’s certainly an entertaining thought to picture Bryant at the same high school basketball camp as Hart, and it’s even crazier when it’s revealed that the former was only there to work on his left hand.
Hart was surprised that Bryant was there given his standing nationwide, but it’s still an incredible revelation that he didn’t use his right hand once the whole time. Meanwhile, Bryant was still easily the best player at the camp.
Hart, who is a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan, told this story to show respect to the late legend, speaking to his work ethic and how far it goes back.
Even at 15-16 years old, Bryant was just on a different level than everybody else. It’s undoubtedly what helped him to achieve the legendary status he has today.