Late Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant wasn’t jsut one of the greatest basketball players of all time — he also became an icon who transcended basketball. His “Mamba Mentality” of doing whatever it takes, being obsessed with one’s craft and treating winning as a life-or-death thing has inspired countless people in various walks of life.
Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze is a rookie who is thought to have star potential. He had 81 receptions for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns last season while helping to lead the University of Washington to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
He has joined a Bears roster that is suddenly loaded with more talent than any other the franchise has had in decades. It led to the hit HBO show “Hard Knocks” featuring them this year.
In the second episode of this year’s version of “Hard Knocks,” Odunze told a couple of teenagers about Bryant’s total dedication to preparation.
Via NFL.com:
“Kobe said he never took a shot in a game that he didn’t take a thousand times in practice,” Odunze relayed to the teens. “It’s the same way in football. You should never catch a ball in a game that you ain’t caught a thousand times in practice.”
He also made it clear that preparation also helps with one’s belief in what one is capable of doing during actual games.
“It’s just the preparation, you know what I mean?” he continued. “When you’re doing those things, when you’re doing that hard preparation, keep telling yourself like, ‘Hey, man, I’m out here working!’ The guy across me when it comes game time, he didn’t do that work I was putting in. All those things build confidence.”
Odunze is just one headline-making Bears rookie who is seemingly modeling himself after a legend. Quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL draft, has reportedly adopted legendary QB Tom Brady’s TB12 Method when it comes to his diet and workout regimen.
Bryant and Brady aren’t exactly bad examples to model after, whether one is a pro athlete or someone who works every day for minimum wage.