Why Did Kobe Bryant Almost Give Up Basketball for Soccer? All You Need to Know

Bryant took inspiration from Michael Jordan
Kobe explained that his respect and admiration for MJ were forged when he learned about Jordan being cut from his high school team as a freshman. Discovering that Jordan knew what it felt like to be embarrassed and to feel like a failure, yet used those emotions to fuel his strength and determination, resonated deeply with Kobe.
Jordan's refusal to quit inspired Kobe to approach his own challenges in the same way. He decided to channel his failures as fuel to keep his competitive fire burning. Kobe became obsessed with proving to his family — and more importantly to himself — that he could succeed.
Kobe used Michael's example as a guide for the remainder of his playing career. Setbacks, criticism, and failure are not always bad things. Positives can be generated from these negatives if one has the correct mindset.
ALSO READ: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James: Tim Duncan plays "Start-Bench-Cut" Between NBA Legends
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