[FULL] Kobe Bryant's 2017 interview on First Take

Our next guest spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers, five titles and Finals MVP, and was named among 18 stars. We welcome Kobe Bryant to the desk. Thank you very much for being here debuting at Canvas City Music Age. We are very attentive. Look, brother, look, soft. I must say that I am very impressed. You never took more time and it was worth it. Look at this. You finally admit that the dress is better than you. Give it to me. Value those that are not familiar to you. with your project we want to share a clip and then go into it, okay, check it out, every muse.

Cage is driven by two forces. Light music, light music, makes you feel good. Dark music makes you feel bad. What they don't understand is that dark reflections can be our greatest source of energy and power. Oh, if you're searching for your inner beasts, chances are you're living inside some dark news. So Kobe, I saw you yesterday at an NBA countdown facility. a bigger clip of this now obviously someone who is not a world class athlete. I love this because as a school life skill, I feel like it applies to anyone who is trying to hone a skill to try to achieve success, but tell us more about this project.

Well, I wanted to create something that the whole family could enjoy. You know, I wanted something where mom's and dad's kids could all sit together on the couch and watch a show where they digest basketball content that allows them to be better, but it's content that kids can. enjoy too and then when I get to the analysis part of the basketball, how can I break down the game in a way that is entertaining and easy to digest the ball? And that's what we try to create, we try to create sports content for the whole family to enjoy.

I can't why a content product like you know what magic retired, came into the business and it's like a variety of and we immediately heard that he basically wants to be Stephen Steel, but like you know, he wants to do things, why create content? You know, I got into writing at a very young age. I had a great teacher in high school on Marion J. Mustard Mustard Island. She taught speech arts and how to write, structure and all these other things. I fell in love with it and so, when I started. I came into the league, I started writing my own commercials and I started working in storytelling, and when I retired I knew exactly what my passion was going to be, so I fell into that and I think athletes and people are everything. what can we do. it's just following what we love to do most and seeing where that leads how long before you retired how soon you knew this was something you wanted to do.

I imagine it only took place once you retired because you're a planner, well, I kind of enjoyed the process of telling stories, but when it came time to make the muse film, the documentary, that's when I really fell in love with it because then I started to fall in love with the process of writing the chapters. and then, you know, structuring things visually and so on, and then seeing the reaction that I had, that you know, we got from the people on the film, saying how much it impacted them and that really focused my attention, I'm thinking. about today's game and I want to know how by watching today's game, although you were a participant, you are also an observer to some extent, you know what is going on, you have always known and now that you have stepped away from the game because you are retired, you're watching from afar you're clearly trying to impact the future generation, you want to emerge, but how much do you care to see today's game and how it has evolved?

How much did that influence the work you're doing now? I know what we're trying to do, what I'm trying to do is write content that a child can understand and digest, but also have the messages be at a level where professional athletes can understand and learn something because these are experiences and things that I'm reviewing and learn so you know at the end of the end of basketball break down when I say you know reading the game will make you a good player. Understanding what you are reading will make you a great player, but if you can.

Write the game that others read, you become a champion, right? And that is a different level of understanding where you don't react to situations, but you are the one who creates the situations that others react to, that is the key. Kobe, you're not. You're not a normal competitor, even by the NBA's crazy competitive levels, you were an abnormal competitor, so if it's not a championship, it's a lost season, right, and that's why you won five championships, one of the reasons why the ones he was in his music. it's the championship for you now because now you're in a subjective right, you're trying to create content and things that are more artistic and creative and there's not the same kind of objective measurement of how you're doing it, so what is it? your championship now well, it's the reactions of the families.

I see families saying that I was finally able to sit with my son and the messages I have been teaching him all this time. You are finally understanding and digesting this content. That's the championship for me. I wonder when we are doing this kind of work. I mean, this is clearly early stage for you. Is there an end goal at Lonnie and if so, what is it to keep getting better? You know, from project to project. You already know. We have a close-knit family of producers that we work with to try to bring content to life and we just want to get better from project to project.

That's all. What other stories are you really hoping to tell? Things that continue to come into focus. around sport and you know the emotional connection that exists within sport and then how do you communicate that in a very focused way but in a way that reaches the masses? How do you

take

a basketball situation and relate it to human nature and can we? Do that and keep doing it, hope

full

y you will inspire future generations and be ready for a bad transition to a bad way, everyone good, how do you

take

a bad situation with the Lakers?

Kobe. I mean, the magic was, oh, it was on our show about a week ago. before he gets the job and he says the

first

call, I'm going to get Kobe Bryant, which I heard to the effect that I already called Kobe Bryant, what are you doing with the Lakers right now? Who is the team's goalkeeper? How do you change? culture what do you do? are you asking to me? I'm not working right, but magic said you're the

first

phone call, which means you two have been talking about this, this isn't magic, sorry, I'm just going to take this, okay, here. all went well.

I reached out and let myself know that I was hiring Rob. It's hard to hire PR. He and I talked about how great it was and what they wanted to do in the future. I just told him how excited he was. Rob, I mean, this job is tailor-made for Rob, this is what he does and that's why I'm excited for both of them, but in real terms of how they lose their way, you were on the team when the team lost their way and how Do you get it back? Well, things happen, yeah, as you know, mm-hm, things come and go well, it's a cyclical game and you have your ups and downs and now it's time for you to start rebuilding and start putting pieces of the puzzle in there that can win championships again this is part of the beast storytelling is one thing and obviously you will always be in a position to do it a league in VP of the five-time champion of a secure future in the first vote of the hall of fame his credentials are impeccable , they should not be questioned, so in that sense you will always be able to make retail purchases and that will never go anywhere.

What I want to know is, when you have former players, if you aspire to be a coach, which is Aren't you an executive or an owner, at least at the ownership level? Does that intrigue you? Are you interested? It depends on what it depends. You know, my passion is telling stories. I can not stop doing it. This is what I love. do and this is what excites me when I wake up every morning to do it. Are there ways you can help the Lakers from that perspective? Yeah, maybe from an ownership perspective, maybe, but you know, I like being behind the scenes and being passive and stuff like that. that nature the phone call came, I was sure we heard, but in terms of being there every day and doing it for me, I don't necessarily hear you, they're not necessarily being every day, but I just speak from afar, but having a deep impact when you choose him, if you think about magic, magic, the president of basketball operations is an everyday god, talk about leaning on someone like you for what you want to say now, maybe they can call me now and ask me for advice or you .

I know what I think about this thing that I'm always around, so Kobe Shaq got a statue and I imagine he's cool too and talking to you, it's up to him, you know, for the last few years, it seems to me that that was a situation in the one that boy we didn't know what we had until he left like he never let that guy go how do you feel about Shaq sitting here today getting the statue the other day? What do you think of that Chevy? Happy for me. I know he won three championships here, in a row, so I was happy to see him and I had a chance to catch him a little bit back and not just him, but all the guys. that we played with it, we kind of revisited some old stories, it's amazing how quickly time goes by, I mean it's pretty cool since I got 60, yeah, I'll shoot with my kids, but in terms of gameplay, yeah, you know, that It's what you know.

I know every time we talk, I'm amazed at how you don't apologize for the fact that you don't miss him anymore, you put in your time, that's enough, you don't miss him, it's weird you hear that from someone I know, weird. Yes it's stressful, yes it's strange, but it's a blessing, I mean the thing, and when you grow up playing a game your whole life and this is what you identify with all the time, it's very difficult to find something else that you know and I have been very fortunate and blessed to have a passion that I love as much as playing basketball mm-hmm and when that happens I am extremely fortunate, but for the young people that come up as you go through your career it is important that you start looking for things that you are equally passionate because when the music stops and the game ends and you try to figure it out when it's too late, it's interesting that you mention the word passion because When I watch today's NBA game I see guys with great talent mm-hmm I see guys , some guys with great passion, but there's a lot of money in the game compared to what you know, I mean it's a lot of money in the game, just leave it at that when you do what you're doing now with your storytelling and I asked you a question about monitor today's game and how that affects what you want to do, what do you see when you watch today's game?

We have problems in which to question God rest, rest, etc., etc. I mean, what do you see when you watch a game? I mean, listen, the game has grown substantially, the age of social media has really altered or increased the amount of opinions we have available about the game. So as a result you have a broad opinion on a topic, which is fine, but I think the center of it all is the game itself, so the players continue to improve, that's the most important thing now in terms of the development of Players. I feel like that has completely regressed and it starts at a very, very youth level and grows through AAU and such.

We are not teaching our children the fundamentals of the game. We are not teaching them how to think. game and that's a bigger problem all the other things surrounding the game come and go but the game itself is Mobe is that really a bigger problem or are you an outlier like you have a very complete game but not all Did they have it there? We were a lot of bums compared to you then, just as there are now compared to the best players, are you the veteran who now looks back and continues in my era? Everyone knew the game that only you were in or do you really think he has regressed?

Not in that way, I mean, you know our development in US basketball, just look at that on the surface and the difficulty of the challenges that we face and playing international competition, so when I grew up and grew up abroad, In Italy, I was very lucky. because I caught the teaching time in Europe, so you know, the Red Holtzman Tex winners and all these great coaches at that time traveled to Europe to teach the coaches, they had coaching clinics on how they coach the players, so that when I was a child I grasped the fundamentals of that game, true, like the one and only Manu Ginobili, it is not the same, and if you look at the art, the difficulty that we have had an international competition is because these players learn how to play and think in the game at all levels, friend Gasol.

As comfortable handling the ball as he is using a pose, Marcus. Well, you look at the San Antonio Spurs and the way they move the ball, so we have to do a better job developing a player you like. Did we hear Jordan talk about LeBron or was there that article where Jordan talks about how he's looking at LeBron thinking how he would defend him, are you at the point where you're watching the game now and could the transition happen during this last part if you're a race, the baby whoyou know? 5 and all these things and I think if he were around today, he would shoot more threes.

How would your game translate to today or do you think it would adapt? I don't know, I don't even know. Think about it, don't think about it, no, no, I mean, that's what you are, Michael, no. Really different in that aspect, I look at the game now and try to find good moments that can really create a good story that I can post for for kids to understand it or for other athletes to understand, then why, then it's a Little, the only problem I have with everything you say is that you are dissecting it and you are being incredibly cerebral with it and I respect that, however, what I think about it is that when I look at a lot of the players today and I look at the game today, that passion that we talk about matters and for me your greatest gift to me was your determination, it was your will to beat yourself, it was clear that you let everyone know that you were striving to be the best of all time and I didn't apologize for it, see it's a game of days?

Because I don't understand it well. Russell and James certainly apologize for that. Right, okay, so there are players like that. Kyrie Irving, right? So there are certain players. So they do that and that's perfectly fine, Kobe, what is your opinion on the players, even if they rest when they are healthy? Because I think you could make a good story about it and drink tea and teach some lessons to the younger generation. City opening jingle. I put it there. a little bit about oh, there's no days off, there's no time to rest, but in terms of the integrity of the game or the competitiveness of the game, well, here's the problem, the problem is for a family that spends the money they care so much about It was hard to win to come see your favorite. the players play and you know they show up and the players that don't play, that's the hard part, you know, I felt like if you could play, you can play, you go out and play, if a coach told you that you're not playing, would you have done it?

I had a problem with that, well yeah I've never been contacted, yeah my trainer and my ass need a rest. I think they knew better than me what resonates, what resonates and I'm not going to believe it's a theme, but what resonates with me about the players. Sitting is one thing if you are not playing and another thing is when you announce to the world that it is for rest while you are in street clothes relaxing on the bench smiling and laughing with your teammates when the fans came to see you play and you are Mark, listen, you can build your game differently, right?

And I think you know one of the things I learned from MJ is that the one second Knights go back to back when it's the fourth game, five nights, anyway, maybe the game would change when they change their game a little bit. He may be on the perimeter the first two games. Now I slide towards the post. I'm going to play a little closer to the basket. I will play a little more without the ball. There are ways you can alter your game, where you can rest within the game but still be efficient. We, we, we.

I mean selling sports media through narratives, telling stories, that's how people understand the world. Case in point talking about the rest of when Dwight was traded to the Lakers and you had Steve Nash and POW and you guys were supposed to compete for a title. The D'Antoni system was not working for the staff who took charge of the situation, he played 45 minutes. one game or whatever, I wanted the team to make the playoffs in the second half, but the Achilles tendon went and it reminded me of John Henry, right, he had to beat the steam drill, but his body fell apart, So what's the story I told?

Do you have a different story to tell? I did not see her. Icarus probably comes to mind. I think I'm too close to the Sun with borrowed wings. I mean, you're trying, you're leaving, you're leaving, you're leaving. You go, you go, I'm going to borrow the time. I got too close to the Sun and my Achilles tendon exploded. Hmm, how about that? And if your Achilles tendon had burst, what do you imagine would have ended your career if I thought I was alone? asking for imagination, it was okay, I think they end up being a godsend for me because when the Achilles tear happened it really woke me up in the sand, okay, your career might be coming to an end now, so what are you going to do ?

I've been thinking and planning and planning and planning. I say okay, no, now I need to start putting things into action. I can't sit passively because this can end from time to time, what are you going to do with your Achilles tendon when you were? Playing for Mike D'Antoni, who was the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers at the time, I wasn't very happy with the job he did in Los Angeles, but I'll tell you he's my coach of the year now in Houston, he's been absolutely sensational, Can you talk about what you've been seeing every time you've had a chance to watch this team play?

Because I see the Houston Rockets as a potentially huge threat in the Western caucus. Well, you know, Mike was kind of We dealt with the wrong hand here with all the injuries we've had, we never had the opportunity to get all the guys on the court that he can coach and put him in positions to be successful, so which was a difficult situation for him and for you. He was with the personnel he has, he fits magically, I think you know what he found in Harden, he is a player that Steve Nash asked for but bigger, so now you can get into the paint, get in the teeth of the defense, you know what we always try.

Steve has put a bigger player on him when he gets in the paint, he just tries to cover him with the bigger player and stay home with the shooters. James can't do that because he does, he sighs, he's fine, so now, once he gets his teeth into it. the defense you have to go get it, which then opens up the other one, so I see him as the heir apparent for you, but I think about someone like Yahoo who obviously I talk to and his favorite play in the world is Russell Westbrook, Russell believes. Westbrook reminds him of himself, right, we should all be lucky that I was in '65.

Actually, I'm just asking you who is that that reminds you of you or who is your favorite player right now? I mean, there's his street. I really enjoy watching it. You know, Russell? James quite Leonard I love watching that generation Kyrie I love watching them play I love seeing them play and quietly able to do it and you know with the spots that he operates from or the exact same Zach spots that I like to operate from, you know coda middle post you know the one-two punch turning left shoulder fading turning right shoulder fee I'm not.

I love watching those guys play against Kobe right now. What's going on with LeBron? I'm sure you pay attention to him because that's really the guy they passed the torch to, unfortunately you guys never met in the finals, but this whole break and everything was very often, we're talking about LeBron, he's in the finals Every year, what is your feeling about where you are in your career? right now and and all that, yeah, that's the hard part is that when you miss a game, there's a kid that's not going to see his favorite player play. Well, with that being said, LeBron has done a lot for the game, so we need to give him the opportunity to be able to take a break, he has earned it and we can't agree with that.

We feel absolutely terrible for the kids who come to see this man perform at the same time as this man has been in a final almost every year for as long as I can remember, he has done so much to elevate the game, so he earned the right to give it the benefit of doubt. That's something that ever crosses your mind or you think about the fact that he was. I'm on a team good enough to make it to the final when you guys were dominant and then vice versa, you never got together in a final.

Yeah, I thought 2009 was a great opportunity for that to happen. I was hoping that would happen. great for the game, unfortunately I didn't, you have earned the right to be considered one of the best. There were times in your career where obviously people were making comparisons to Michael Jordan and then we all thought Michael Jordan was the goat, so you were like he's Kobe, that's how he is and that's how he will stay, but don't hesitate to remind him. people, look, this is what I did when I play, when Ziva before you retired, numerous coaches how you had done it. play point guard shoe God, etc., etc. when you reflect on your career what is your position in your mind what is the story that you tell yourself about yourself well, I gave absolutely everything I had through this game yes, I did well and that's the most important thing are the rankings, all that is inconsequential, you know, rankings come and go, opinions change, it doesn't matter, when can you look in the mirror and say if I gave everything I could, I would do everything I could to try.

It gets better if the answer is yes, but don't you have an aspiration for people to see what you saw, whatever it may be? I remember one time you reminded me, sorry, do you realize what I had to do this year when I didn't? you have So, do you know that everyone's path has a different narrative? Try to walk yours as best you can and let the dust settle. We are men. Have you decided who is one of this year's titles? No, I haven't. To be completely honest with you, I haven't been watching the league that way, I mean, yeah, so it's hard for me to say.

I mean, I see highlights here and there, but I haven't really been following that closely so I can give some sort of polite response in case you missed it. Devin Booker was inspired by your journey to get out of your 70s and said that he saw an

interview

about you and felt like he could do that and come out with such clarity, but they lost. yes, they won and they were losing it, see how it all comes together, friends, Kobe, thank you very much for being here with us, I appreciate it, it was fun, we look forward to more content, we can see it on espn.com, all your work we have. to leave it guys, I'm very proud of it, I'm very proud of the work, I'm proud of how it looks in the suit, I like the new look of the offer, very short white DAP, I must confess that, as I said, I appreciate it . your opinion thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube to watch live sports and premium content subscribe to ESPN Plus