15 Examples Of Kobe Bryant's Insane Work Ethic

It's really not as easy as it looks for Kobe Bryant. He works at it real hard. Business Insider has put together this fascinating list of things Bryant has done to get an extra edge. How does your work ethic compare?

1. He ran on an anti-gravity treadmill all summer to stay in shape without hurting his Achilles.

2. He decided to lose 16 pounds for the Olympics in 2012.

3. Showed up at 5 a.m. and left practice at 7 p.m. ... in high school.

4. He'd make high school teammates play one-on-one games to 100---In Kobe's worst game, he still won 100-12.

5. He used to practice by himself without a ball

Shaq wrote in his book:

"You'd walk in there and he'd be cutting and grunting and motioning like he was dribbling and shooting — except there was no ball. I thought it was weird, but I'm pretty sure it helped him."

6. He counts all of his made shots in practice, and stops when he gets to 400.

7. He had Nike put 'sutures' on his new sneakers to remind him of his injury.

8. He goes through super intense workouts on game days.


From ESPN's Rick Reilly:

"Among a dozen other drills, Bryant does suicide push-ups. At the top of the pushup, he launches himself off the mat so hard that both his feet come off the ground and his hands slap his pecs. He does three sets of seven of these. This makes me turn away and whimper softly."

9. He is on a crazy strict diet right now.

10. He ices his knees for 20 minutes three times per day and does acupuncture so he doesn't get hurt.

11. He watches film of himself at halftime

12. He had Nike shave a few millimeters off the bottom of his shoes in 2008 to get 'a hundredth of a second better reaction time.'

13. He trains for four hours a day during the season, and more than that in the offseason.

14. He keeps players after practice as 'guinea pigs.'

15. This quote from an NBA scout in 2008: 'Allen Iverson loves to play when the lights come on. Kobe loves doing the s--- before the lights come on."