$70M worth Nick Saban once recalled Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s inspiring words on editing life to accomplish goals

In 2020, legendary coach Nick Saban shared the late Kobe Bryant's words of wisdom regarding shaping one's life to achieve their goals.

“When Kobe Bryant was here, he made a statement, 'You have to edit your behavior to accomplish the goals that you have,'" Saban said (via FanSided).

The Lakers legend's untimely death in January 2020 in a helicopter crash left a profound impact on fans and family, but his legacy continues to reverberate throughout the world of sports, particularly in basketball.

According to Sports Illustrated, Bryant visited the Alabama campus before the 2018 college football season, a pivotal moment following Nick Saban's decision to switch quarterbacks during the national championship game.

“Edit your life,” Bryant said while addressing Alabama Crimson Tide players. “What's most important to you, right? When you do that, things become clear rather quickly. You say 'I want to be the best'... if the things in your life don't line up with that, get rid of that ****, it's not important."

Bryant's message of editing one's life resonated with the Crimson Tide, including quarterback Jalen Hurts.

“I learned at an early age, I have to edit my life,” Hurts said. “If there’s s--- that’s bad for me, if there are people that are bad for me, I have to edit them out of my life.”

The message struck a chord with Saban, a highly successful coach with a substantial net worth of $70 million, per Celebrity Net Worth, in the football realm.

During his tenure at Crimson Tide, Saban opened up on the importance of team chemistry and the clash between high achievers and mediocre individuals.

“You can never have any team chemistry for this reason - mediocre people don't like high achievers and high achievers don't like mediocre people,” Nick Saban said. “So if everybody doesn't buy into the same principles and values of the organization in the same high standard, you're never going to be successful.”

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Nick Saban once remembered what made Kobe Bryant a great player

Former head coach Nick Saban once recalled a speech by Kobe Bryant to his team a few years ago. Saban said one of the things Bryant said that stuck with him was:

"'I can't be perfect, but I'm gonna close the gap on perfect as much as I can.' Which means I’m always working to get better. I’m always trying to be better than I was the day before. He was very committed to that and that’s probably what made him a great player. Most great players are committed that way. They’re never satisfied," said Saban (via On3.com).

Saban said this mentality is what made Bryant a great player and pointed out that most great players share this same commitment to continuous improvement.

Former head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide

He also said great players are internally motivated to be the best.

“(Great players) don’t get complacent about what they did yesterday and how well they did it,” Saban said. “They don’t let things like what they say about them in the media of who they’re playing affect how they play.”

“Because they’re motivated from the inside out in terms of them wanting to be the best. They’ve got their head in the right place, their heart in the right place in terms of what they want to accomplish and what they want to do.”

Nick Saban always emphasized consistent performance and the challenge of maintaining high-level play.

How important is drawing inspiration from figures like Kobe Bryant and Nick Saban? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!