(Ep012) 8 Things Coaching Kobe Bryant Taught Me about Commitment, Outworking the Competition, the Mamba Mentality, and More

Written By Phil White

18-time NBA All-Star. Five-time NBA champion. 2-time Finals MVP. Kobe Bryant’s legacy as the greatest player since Michael Jordan is unparalleled. Most of what has been said about Kobe has been through third parties, but Basketball Strong Podcast co-host Tim DiFrancesco had the blessing of coaching Kobe up close over four years with the Lakers.

In this episode, Tim and co-host Phil White discuss eight lessons for basketball and life that Kobe taught TD. Listen on and you will discover an intimate portrait of:

  • A pre-game story you have never heard about Kobe fighting through back pain to play at Madison Square Garden 

  • A surprising truth about Kobe and self-doubt alongside insecurities 

  • What drove the Mamba Mentality

  • How Kobe and TD often worked out in the middle of the night

  • Who was able to get into Kobe’s inner circle and the level of trust it took to do so

  • Why the Black Mamba is so much more than a nickname

  • What TD misses most about Kobe (RIP Mamba and G)

Check out more of TD’s courtside Kobe memories on his Instagram feed and in THIS blog post written by TD.

Phil White
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(Ep013) Jonathan Tjarks: Using Faith to Battle Cancer, The Unorthodox Story of Finding God, Becoming an NBA Writer vs. NBA Player, and Knowing The Mavs Would Never Win Again with Dirk Nowitzki
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(Ep011) Osheray Streeter: Fighting to Earn a College Scholarship, Growing up in a Single-Parent Household, and Becoming a Physical Therapist Dedicated to Helping Hoopers Dominate the Court