How Steve Blake Earned Kobe Bryant’s Trust and Developed a Title-Winning Work Ethic

There aren’t many point guards who can talk about playing for the Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant, claiming an NCAA championship with Gary Williams at Maryland, and winning high school titles with Udonis Haslem and Frank Martin. In fact, Steve Blake might be the only one who checks all these boxes. Once you start hearing more about his mindset, you won’t be surprised that he hit the hardwood with such ferocity and earned the respect of some of the game’s greatest players and coaches.

Much has been made of the theory Malcolm Gladwell popularized about needing 10,000 hours to master a single discipline (which he adapted from Anders Ericsson’s deliberate practice research – read his book Peak for a primer). While there are plenty of examples to back this theory up, such as the Williams sisters in tennis, Michael Phelps in swimming, and – perhaps most famously – Tiger Woods in golf, many more athletes started their sporting journeys as generalists, as David Epstein details in his book Range. Steve was another one who didn’t specialize in basketball until he was a teenager.

“It was pretty much every sport,” he said. “My dad had me playing basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, baseball, you name it. I was doing it. We were a very athletic family. I have three older sisters, who all were big into soccer. When I got to around seventh or eighth grade, my dad said, ‘You’re getting older – let’s pick a sport and focus on something instead of just bouncing around all the time.’ And basketball was what I was drawn to. I loved the competition. I was probably a little bit better at it than everything else, and it was the sport I wanted to pursue.”

Once he decided to dedicate himself to hoops, Steve progressed rapidly, becoming an even better ball handler and a deadly spot-up shooter. In high school in Miami, he teamed up with the player who would later become that city’s NBA franchise talisman for what’s now called “Heat culture” – Udonis Haslem. While the two formed a potent inside-outside duo on the hardwood, they had more than a little help from the sideline.

“A lot of that success at Miami High with Udonis was because of Frank Martin,” Steve said. “He had a drive to win and an intensity that stayed with me and my teammates for life. I was the shortest guy, so I had to have the skill set and the brains to run the point guard. My job was to understand the game, pass the ball, handle it, and knock down open shots. I’ve probably never averaged more than 15 points a game. Passing became what I did best and winning came along with that. And as long as I won – it was preached to me from a young age – success would come, and it didn’t matter what my stats were.”

Moving on to Maryland

The success Steve spoke about manifested itself in him, Haslem, and their teammates taking home two state titles. While his teammate had the size and athleticism to immediately attract the attention of the college scouts who soon became regulars in the team’s home gym, it took time for them to appreciate Steve’s cerebral approach to the game and ability to be a calm floor general under even the most intense defensive pressure. After several schools expressed interest, he made some unofficial visits and decided to become a Terrapin.

“There were several things that intrigued me about Maryland,” Steve said. “I love the ACC, and when I went on their campus, I really enjoyed the players and got to spend some time with the coaches. But the biggest thing was that I would get to start as a freshman. Steve Francis had just transferred in, but I knew he was going pro, so that would leave a vacancy at point guard. Frank Martin, my dad, and I decided that this was almost too good to be true, as I’d have the chance to run with it.”

Another merit of going to Maryland was that Steve, who since transferring to Oak Hill Academy had also learned life and basketball lessons from coach Steve Smith, would get to continue his development under the watchful eye of future Hall of Famer Gary Williams.

“He’s similar to Frank Martin – someone who is not going to take anything less than 100 percent effort and doing things the right way,” Steve said. “You’ve gotta be ready to go right from the start, mentally and physically. From the second we stepped on that court, we were ready to compete. He was also a great teacher. We ran the flex offense, and we became extremely proficient with it. Defensively, he had this competitive spirit, and when someone’s that intense, you have to be too. You had to bring it, or you weren’t going to play. He got the best out of us.”

The Gary Williams model ran to near perfection in Steve’s freshman season, with his squad running the table on their ACC opponents and picking up speed as they raced into the NCAA Tournament. But ultimately, they’d fall just short of their ultimate goal, losing a heartbreaker to arch rival Duke in the Final Four after squandering a large lead. Steve and his teammates refused to let that loss become a defining moment, responding with tenacity and mental toughness as they started his sophomore season. Their comeback included going undefeated in the team’s final year in historic Cole Field House, winning the ACC title, and vindicating themselves as they cut down the nets after they beat the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2002 NCAA title game.  

“It's how you respond to those tough moments,” Steve said. “We weren't satisfied with just getting to the Final Four. Most of us were coming back except for Terence Morris. And so we knew we were going to be really good again. We took it personal and got better every single day, every game and came back the next year and won a national championship.”

Leveling Up in the NBA

Though the Terrapins wouldn’t win another title, Steve continued to excel. By the end of his senior year, he’d become the first ACC player to compile 1,000 points, 800 assists, 400 rebounds, and 200 steals. He finished his career fifth in NCAA all-time career assists with 972, and later had his jersey raised to the rafters.

His stellar play at the point, high basketball IQ, and stellar defense earned Steve the 38th spot in the 2003 NBA draft, where he was chosen by the Washington Wizards. He made the most of his opportunity off the bench, averaging 5.9 points, 2.8 assists, and 18.6 minutes per game while playing in 75 games his rookie year. But it took a while to find his feet in the pros and remember that – just like in the movie Hoosiers – it was still the same game he’d played so well for years.  

“I was nervous as heck the first time I got on the NBA court in a preseason game – my legs were weak,” Steve said. “The difference between college and the pros, is that on an NBA team, the 15th guy on the roster was the best player on a college team. Everybody's good, everyone's huge, everyone can play. After a couple of games, you get used to it, and then you roll – you’re still just playing basketball.”

Keeping Up with Kobe

After stops with the Blazers (twice), Nuggets, and Clippers, Steve signed a four-year $16 million contract with the Lakers. One of the first people to contact him afterward was the team’s superstar, Kobe Bryant.

“He reached out to me just a few hours later and said, ‘I love you as a player, welcome to the family.’ That was really touching, coming from one of the best to ever play the game. As soon as I got there, we started to connect on a more personal level. We both were young fathers and had kids around the same age, so we were always sharing videos.”

But as welcoming as Bryant was, he also demanded the same kind of tenacity that he’d come to expect from Steve when they matched up as opponents.

“I don't want to ever put myself on the same level as him,” he said. “But as far as being a competitor, he knew that all I cared about was winning and doing things the right way. That helped me have a relationship with him. We bonded over the years and became great friends and teammates. I miss those moments we had.”

As impressed as he was by Kobe’s skills and athleticism on the basketball court, Steve was also blown away by his versatile talents off it.

“He had this unique ability to do anything he wanted,” Steve said. “One night, we walked into a hotel in Milwaukee at one in the morning. There was a piano in the ballroom, and I said, ‘I bet you $100 you can’t play this song right now.’ It was Beethoven or Mozart. He went back there with me and our security guard and started playing it. I crumpled up a 100-dollar bill and threw it at him.”

Proving that he was more than just good company for Kobe, Steve took over the starting point guard role after Steve Nash went down injured and led the Lakers into the playoffs against the Spurs. In 2014, he was traded to the Warriors, went back to the Blazers for a third time, and then rounded out his 15-year NBA career with the Pistons. While he relentlessly worked on his game, Steve’s own version of the Mamba Mentality was a key component of his high school and college titles and longevity in the world’s premier pro league.

“There can be a lot that goes into being Basketball Strong,” Steve said. “On my journey, I think of loving what I'm doing and sacrifice. Are you willing to sacrifice some comfortable and enjoyable things to really become better and do what you love? That's what's gonna make you strong.”

Listen to our full conversation with Steve here. If you like what you hear, please leave a review & rating, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode.