A lot of times things get blown out of proportion in a negative light, especially in the NBA, ... But there are a lot of players in the NBA who really care about the community and want to use their basketball-playing ability for a good cause.
Kobe BryantI have my own identity ... The whole Michael thing does drive me nuts sometimes because people won't leave it alone. He's bald, I have hair. He's almost 40, I'm 22. Seriously though, I wish people would let it be and let me just be Kobe.
Kobe BryantYou're my backbone. You're a blessing. You're a piece of my heart. You're the air I breathe. And you're the strongest person I know, and I'm so sorry for having to put you through this and having to put our family through this.
Kobe BryantMy role is to make sure we're moving in the right direction, getting points, rebounds, steals, assists and providing leadership.
Kobe BryantIt really doesn't matter to me. We're just talking about clothes. I can understand what the NBA is trying to do. I love my sneakers, but we're just talking about clothes.
Kobe BryantThe important thing is that your teammates have to know you're pulling for them and you really want them to be successful.
Kobe BryantI wear the number 10 Jersey for the US National Team in honour of the Greatest athlete I have ever seen: Messi.
Kobe BryantIt's hard for me to grasp the concept of somebody being nervous when I'm talking to them.
Kobe BryantI don’t want to say I’ll be back at the top of my game because everybody’s gonna think I’m crazy and it’s the old player not letting go sort of thing, but that’s what it’s gonna be.
Kobe BryantDropkick Murphys get me going, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana... plus, all the regular hip-hop stuff.
Kobe BryantBy eloquence I understand those appeals to our moral perceptions that produce emotion as soon as they are uttered. This is the very enthusiasm that is the parent of poetry. Let the same man go to his closet and clothe in numbers conceptions full of the same fire and spirit, and they will be poetry.
Kobe BryantI enjoy playing at the heart of it is just a kid who really loves playing the game of basketball.
Kobe BryantYou always have to be on edge. You always have to take every practice, every game, like it is your last.
Kobe BryantIn an individual sport, yes, you have to win titles. Baseball's different. But basketball, hockey? One person can control the tempo of a game, can completely alter the momentum of a series. There's a lot of great individual talent.
Kobe BryantMy parents are my backbone. Still are. They're the only group that will support you if you score zero or you score 40.
Kobe BryantThere's certain companies that line up with what the brand represents. There are other things that are more investment-focused.
Kobe BryantYou just try to take it one day at a time, ... You step on the basketball floor and just play. It's fun. I'm comfortable with it.
Kobe BryantI'm playing against great players, playing against the best in the world. The competition-that's what I've always wanted.
Kobe BryantI feel like I just returned a 100-yard kickoff in the last two minutes of the Super Bowl to win it all, only to have my run called back by a flag on the play.
Kobe BryantThat argument doesn’t make any sense to me. So we want to advance as a society and as a culture, but, say, if something happens to an African-American, we immediately come to his defense? Yet you want to talk about how far we’ve progressed as a society? Well, if we’ve progressed as a society, then you don’t jump to somebody’s defense just because they’re African-American. You sit and you listen to the facts just like you would in any other situation, right? So I won’t assert myself.
Kobe BryantWe all know what flopping is when we see it. The stuff that you see is where guys aren't really getting hit at all and are just flailing around like a fish out of water.
Kobe BryantDear Basketball, From the moment I started rolling my dad's tube socks and shooting imaginary game-winning shots ... I fell in love with you.
Kobe BryantI felt like when we came back from the All-Star break we needed everybody to feel like they were part of the team, ... I'm just trying to do whatever the team needs at any given time.
Kobe BryantIt doesn't bother me at all. Do I hold any hard feelings? Not at all, ... Life is too short to sit around and hold grudges. I don't hold any whatsoever.
Kobe BryantI 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.
Kobe BryantI'm not jumping through the gym by any means. But I don't need to be able to do that in order to be a great player.
Kobe BryantIt's not about the number of hours you practice, it's about the number of hours your mind is present during the practice
Kobe BryantWhen you love something, you'll always come back to it. You'll always keep asking questions, and finding answers.
Kobe BryantHorrible, terrible AAU basketball. It's stupid. It doesn't teach our kids how to play the game at all so you wind up having players that are big and they bring it up and they do all this fancy crap and they don't know how to post. They don't know the fundamentals of the game. It's stupid.
Kobe BryantHe [Phil Jackson] is such a basketball genius in terms of the details of the game, the little nuances of the game and the rhythm of the game.
Kobe BryantI wouldn’t say I’m a ball hog. I’m a shooter. I don’t necessarily hog the ball, but I put them up though. I definitely much rather shoot it than pass it. That’s just how I am.
Kobe BryantEverybody wants to talk about NBA players being selfish and arrogant and individuals. But what you saw today was a team bonding and facing adversity and coming out with a big win.
Kobe BryantYou want me to own a team and deal with these rich, spoiled stubborn athletes, and try to get them to perform? No thank you.
Kobe BryantIt never bothered me when people would say, 'You only win championships because you're playing with Shaq.' It bothered me when he said it.
Kobe Bryant