Dynamic Flexibility Athlete: Kobe Bryant

Kobe admits that the success he has gained has come with many sacrifices. Thousands of hours were spent practicing dribbling, shooting, and playing defense so he could become a great player in the league like his father was. Refusing to play in his father’s shadow, it is without a doubt that we can say Kobe

First, a list of his accomplishments. Kobe was drafted out of highschool at the age of seventeen, broke into the league by winning the Slam Dunk contest in his rookie season, and by age of twenty-five he was a three time world champion. He was the youngest person to be named a NBA All-Star at the age of nineteen. The combination of his talents with the talents of Shaquille O’Neal was the greatest “one-two punch” of all time. That is an objective fact. Shaq himself has even admitted that had the duo stayed together after the 2004 season, they most certainly would have gone on to win additional world championships, but Kobe didn’t need Shaq. When it was all said and done, Kobe ended up with five rings to his name to O’Neals four - all five with the Lakers I might add.

Kobe came into the league in the most ideal scenario; he was picked by a big market, star studded, rich organization, the Los Angeles Lakers. To add to that, Kobe had 0 pressure due to the other superstar in town, Shaquille O’Neal. Kobe would be the robin to Shaq’s Batman, and by doing so, Kobe would have 3 championships in a row. In historical context, on the NBA’s chess board, Kobe was a knight; he was important but they could do without him. Kobe did not become an important piece until in his ninth year, when he was stranded with NBA journeymen. Comparing them to his old teammates was like comparing minute maid orange juice to Dom Perignon champagne. So, Kobe was granted permission to do whatever he wanted with the basketball in his hands, which lead to his average points per game going up, and his shooting efficiency to go down. LeBron however, was not drafted into success with no pressure and a Batman like Kobe was; he was the most anticipated basketball player ever, expected to lift a team, rather a city, whom had not won a sports championship since 1964, out from the ashes and into the limelight,at the age of 18. Unlike Kobe, Lebron had all the pressure to live up to his prophecy from the moment he stepped on the NBA’s basketball court and he did not disappoint. In fact, LeBron put up stats never before seen from a player so young, changing NBA history in the process. At 19, he

MindBodyGreen.com., 2013. MindBodyGreen. [online] Why Flexibility Is Important To Your Health. Available at: < http://www.mindbodygreen.com

Bryant’s accomplishments, competitiveness, and work ethic is very inspiring to the fans of sport. Playing for one of the biggest franchise team for 20 years and winning five championship is something no other player has done except Kobe Bryant. Bryant has also maintained his high level performance in the most competitive league by spending time on his craft for many hours and extending his time on recovery by icing and playing less minutes during each game. One of the most inspiring moment in Bryant’s career is him coming back from torn achilles during the game against the Golden State Warriors in 2013. Bryant tore the tendon as he fell from getting a shooting foul, he stayed on the court and made his two free throws which led to a remarkable win. His eager to win a game is ambitious than any players. At the age of 34, it is very difficult for top athletes to come back from serious injury but Bryant never gave up so he embraced his injury to put himself through a very intense rehabilitation to bounce back from his step back. In the article “Kobe Bryant: I inspire myself by inspiring others” Kobe Bryant stated “ when people say you can’t come back from that…. I’ve had those doubts about myself but i’m not gonna cower to those doubts. I’m not going to be scared” This quote demonstrates how inspiring Kobe is because his willingness to fight back his serious injuries and embracing the fear that is created by others and

As the core player in their team, they are always responsible to take the last chance to score that will determine the results of games, which is called Game-Winning shot. According to a statistic by ESPN, Kobe has made 36 Game-Winning shots in his career while both Lebron and Tim have made 23 Game-Winning shots (Abbott, 2011). It is not difficult to conclude that Kobe has the dominance to determine the result of games, especially during the last few minutes. Therefore, Michael Jordan, who has been called “the god of basketball”, claimed that he loved watching Kobe’s game and Kobe is the only one deserved to be compared with himself (Freeman, 2012). It definitely shows that Kobe is the greatest in 21st century because of the praise from “the god of

However, Spike Lee captures Kobe as completely human, prone to minor mistakes, throughout the film. For example, when talking to his teammates on the bench versus the Spurs he says, "Hey Pau, my fault I thought you had a quick shot right there, that's why I threw it back to you" (34:12). Kobe not only admits to his mistake, but he explains his thought process when he made the wrong pass earlier in the game. Candid interactions like this allows the viewer to relate to Kobe, as his humbleness and composure often makes the viewer think twice about who they're watching; is it one of the greatest basketball players ever or just an ordinary dude? Later on, Kobe explains that post-game inters are particularly tough because he's always "out of breath." Once again, the viewer is surprised with another admittance of mortality, unlike the god-like status that he typically carries. By providing an eye into Kobe's private conversations in the locker room and on the bench that viewers otherwise wouldn't witness, the viewer is able to relate to Kobe.

If anybody had inspired Kobe I think it would have been his dad. His dad inspired him because when he saw his dad play it inspired him to work and play basketball too.(Biography)People want to be like him because they looked at his achievements and hard work .He inspires me because the stuff he did in his career was amazing. (biography)Kobe bryant is a scoring leader in NBA history and won tons of championship rings.Kobe was a great plKobe Bryant is a two time scoring leader, two time finals Mvp , and has five championship rings.(Stewart 23)Kobe Bryant was born on August 23rd, 1978, Philadelphia,Pennsylvania (Stewart 14).Kobe Bryant is important because he changed the course of basketball and did tons of great things in his career.

In their primes, Kobe’s and LeBron’s physical attributes were at their peaks, but LeBron is far more physically gifted than Kobe. Kobe was able to get up and down the court as a young

When Kobe was older he got drafted to the lakers. KObe made a good point guard because of his passing skills.Kobe

Kobe Bean Bryant was a stellar athlete who is considered to be one of the greatest of his generation. His ability to finish near and far from the rin was unsurpassed by anyone. Kobe’s flair and style was unparalleled by anyone and gave onlookers a rush on adrenaline as the ball fell gently through the rim. Collecting an astonishing five championship wins, Kobe is one of the most accomplished players to play the game. Son to a less famous player, Joe “Jelly Bean” Bryant, Kobe seemed to be destined for basketball (Britannica.com). Kobe grew up living in Italy, a place not quite renowned for its basketball teams.(CNN.com) This made finding competition fairly hard for the upcoming star. Thus began his search for stardom.

One of the things that inspired him was how much he loved the sport. Kobe Bryant said, "It's the enjoyment of the game and the love of it. Then it's the low hanging fruit of responding to this challenge. I mean it's right there, it's very easy to get me going" ("Kobe Bryant Best Motivational Speech"). Another factor of what inspired him was his willingness to become the greatest which encouraged him to do better each time. "That's how I would think everyone would go into it. You want to be the man, you know, not the best of the moment, but the best who ever set foot on a basketball court," said Kobe Bryant (Biography Today 54). Kobe brought out the best in people and he wanted to have a positive affect to the people around him and supported him in his life. His goal was to be one of the greatest, but he also wanted to influence people. One of the motivational things that he said was, " We realize the most important thing in life is how your career moves and touches those around you and how it carries forward to the next generation. You realize that's what makes true greatness" ("Kobe Bryant Interview"). These are the things that kept him from giving up through the obstacles that he

Flexibility can be defined as the capability of something to bend easily without breaking. The flexibility of a person is commonly measured during fitness tests, and the most frequently used test of a person’s flexibility is the sit-and-reach (Jackson and Baker, 1986). Though it is commonly accepted that the sit-and-reach produces an accurate and relative measure of a person’s flexibility, the validity of the test has been examined a number of times (Jackson and

This paper focuses on the prevention and treatment of injuries in basketball. This paper explores the basic concepts of preventing injuries and the different methods to treat injuries that occur as a result of playing basketball. There are a variety of preventive measures to limit injuries at recreational, collegiate and professional levels of playing basketball. This paper will elaborate on specific approaches to injury prevention for each circumstance. Depending on the duration and intensity of play many contributing factors play a role in the prescribed treatment of basketball injuries. This paper will examine the different types of treatment available and the major factors that are considered based on case by case basis. Basketball is an enjoyable sport with the risk of minor and major injury. This paper will give insight into those injuries and remedies to treat and prevent them.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Today, millions of people have discovered the benefits of stretching. Over the last years, studies have shown that people that live these active lives live fuller lives. In fact, studies show that a lack of physical activity directly relates to many major illnesses and death. Before the Industrial Revolution, people actually had to work hard to get their needed amount of movement. After the Revolution, it became a different story. People no longer needed to work physically to make a life for themselves. With this lack of movement came lack of flexibility. Now, everywhere you look, you see people out jogging, hiking, and playing golf, tennis, and other sports to stay active. The fitness trend is in; but it’s