“They don’t put that part on ESPN”: When Kobe Bryant left Nick Saban fascinated by opening up about his preparations for the last season

Kobe Bryant is one of the most legendary basketball players of all time. Tragically, he died in 2020 in a helicopter accident, but his impact can still be felt in the basketball world. He would often travel to high schools and universities to speak with athletes about how he prepared and became an all-time great in the NBA.

In a segment of "Belichick & Saban: The Art of Coaching," a documentary made by HBO Sports in 2019, legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick and legendary college football coach Nick Saban sat down to speak about several topics. During the recording, Nick Saban brought up a time when Kobe Bryant came to speak to his athletes. He said:

"Kobe Bryant, you know my perspective of him when he came in and talked to our team. He said 'I knew I could never be perfect but I was always cutting the gap between where I was and perfect and I know I could never get there, but it didn't matter. I always wanted to be the best player.' And one of the players asked him 'How did you score 60 points in the last game that you played?'"

"He said, 'I worked eight hours a day, 365 days a year so that I could get through that season when I was 40 years old.' He said 'They don't put that part on ESPN.' Really kind of interesting."

Bill Belichick speaks about Kobe Bryant speaking to his players

Bill Belichick also recalled a time when Kobe Bryant came to speak with his players. He spoke about a time when Bryant taught his players about adapting as they age.

"And the other thing he said to us, which was an awesome message, was "You know, I was 25 I could go out and score 30, when I was 35, 38, I could score 30 but it wasn't the same way. I had to learn how to play without the ball. I had to learn how to play in less space. I had to learn how to use picks differently. I couldn't just drive to my basket like I could in my younger days.'"

"And that was so enlightening," Belichick said. "I would say for all our players that heard that. Because you're sitting there looking about his career and we're all sitting there thinking about ours. It's changed for me just like its changed for our players."

Kobe Bryant was renowned for his work ethic. From the moment he entered the NBA, he was one of the hardest-working players and held that status until he retired.