Long-time Los Angeles Lakers trainer Gary Vitti opened up about Kobe Bryant during a podcast with Andrew D. Bernstein on an episode of Legends of Sport.
Vitti was the Lakers' head trainer during Bryant's tenure in Los Angeles. Vitti says Bryant, one of the best players in NBA history, worked harder than everyone else and “there’s nothing really special about Kobe” in terms of his physical tools.
“He was talented, but what if I told you he wasn’t the most talented guy out there?” Vitti says on the podcast, via CNBC. “I’m telling you, and I’ve had them all, there’s nothing really special about Kobe. I mean he’s a big guy, but he’s not that big. He was quick, but he’s not that quick. He’s fast, he wasn’t that fast. He was powerful, but he wasn’t that powerful. I mean, there were other players that had more talent than he did, so what was there about him that more talented players had zero rings and he ended up with five?
“He was tough in the sense that he took ‘can’t' and ‘won’t' out of his lexicon and he just believed that he could do it. Kobe taught me that talent is the most overrated thing in life; it’s what you do with your talent. There’s certain things about him that make him very, very special. The hard work, the smart work, yes, the talent – but what he did with the talent, the toughness, the mental toughness.”
Kobe Bryant is arguably the best player in Lakers franchise history. He won five championships with the Lakers and is the all-time leader in points scored for the Purple and Gold.
Bryant's work ethic is legendary, and it's why he became the Hall of Fame player the Lakers had for 20 years.
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