"He had that Mamba mentality at 15,16 years old"- Former NBA star Rip Hamilton opens up on Kobe Bryant's mindset and his off-court impact

Kobe Bryant left an ever-lasting impact on the game of basketball. He was one of the most tenacious players to ever grace the court. His hard work and dedication separated him from the others and not only his teammates, but even his rivals agreed to it. A player who knows a whole lot about Kobe Bryant is former NBA champion Richard Hamilton.

Bryant and Hamilton locked horns quite a few times in high school. They ended up playing for the same AAU teams and formed a special bond back then. The former Detroit Pistons guard stated that Bryant had a killer instinct right from high school.

Speaking more about the Mamba, Hamilton said:

"Very special human being man, I mean a lot of people know Kobe because of what he done on the basketball court, especially his career with the Lakers but I've been knowing him since we were kids."

"Very special human being, taught me a whole lot, especially from the simple fact of having that killer instinct, when you hear mamba mentality, people here that late, kobe championships, you know MVP's and everything like that, no he had that Mamba mentality at 15, 16 years old"

Hamilton was one of the key players on the Pistons team that handed Kobe Byrant and the LA Lakers an NBA Finals loss in 2004. He revealed that the friendship between the two never came in the way of them playing competitive basketball. Both wanted to win the game and never joked or laughed when they went head-to-head.

Speaking about the battles he had with Kobe Bryant, Hamilton said in an interview with CBS Sports:

''They were war. Listen, when they threw the ball up, there was not one time that crossed my mind that that's my buddy, I'm going to take it easy, we're going to laugh and joke. It was like, I'm trying to rip your head off, you're going to try to rip my head off. And that was the game."

"We didn't shake hands. We didn't laugh and joke. No, uh-uh. And it was great for me, especially that early in my career, because me being around him and playing against him, it helped me for my career to always have that killer instinct."

Kobe Bryant and his never-ending love for the game

Los Angeles Lakers v Phoenix Suns, Game 6

Kobe Bryant oozed confidence every time he stepped foot on the court. He credited that to the hard work that he had put in over the years to develop his game.

In his career spanning 20 years, Bryant won all the accolades and ended up being one of the greatest to ever play basketball, but all of that was only possible because of his undying passion and love for the game.

After retiring from the game, Bryant continued his journey of perseverance by winning an Academy Award for his film, Dear Basketball. He proved to the world that he strived for greatness in everything he did and that was what made him one of the greatest sporting sensations.

Kobe Bryant advocated Mamba Mentality, which inspired millions across the world to hustle hard till their goals are achieved. His untimely death was a big loss to the basketball fraternity, but his legacy will undoubtedly stay on forever.