The Los Angeles Lakers have managed to turn their season around. Everyone laughed when Kobe guaranteed they would make the playoffs but low and behold he willed the team to get over the .500 mark and finally land that 8th seed over the Utah Jazz (albeit a tight race). Kobe not only played at an unbelievable rate, he also helped change his teammate Dwight Howard. Read more after the jump.
“It’s going to make me a better man and a better player from watching Kobe,” Howard said.
Playing in Los Angeles, for a franchise with expectations as high as the Lakers, is “a lot different,” Howard said.
“Besides just the expectations,” he said. “In games, I mess up and there’s somebody in the crowd saying something and I’m ready to snap at ’em. That’s not what we’re supposed to do.
“But you look at a guy like Kobe and he doesn’t care about nothing but going out there and playing hard. That’s a lesson a lot of us have to learn — especially young guys.”
Howard said he and Bryant always have had a good relationship, but it’s deepened this season, particularly since the All-Star break.
“I told him [Bryant]: ‘I’m afraid to miss. When I get out there, I don’t want to miss, and I end up missing.’ And he was like: ‘You know what? Shoot 1,000 jumpshots a day. You’re going to miss a lot of those shots. But that’s OK. Because you’re teaching yourself it’s OK to miss.’
“Now I see it. He gets out there and he might miss a couple 3s, but then he’ll make nine in a row. You see that and it just kind of gives you more inspiration.”
While people might dislike Kobe’s brash attitude you can’t deny his talent and work ethic. If there’s anyone you want to learn from, it would definitely be him.
