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In the grand history of the NBA, few players have been as knowledgeable and wise as Kobe Bryant.
Therefore, Isaiah Thomas was very lucky to be mentored by him.
Speaking with The Players Tribune, per ClutchPoints, Thomas opened up about his working relationship with Bryant and all he learned from him.
“I watched film every day. I prepared on some Kobe s–t. Like I really did. And he was able to mentor me and really mold me all year,” Thomas said.
He went on: “I used to call Kobe at night. We used to watch film, he used to really take his time and watch film with me. My skills were always there, but my mental just took it to a different level.”
Isaiah Thomas on Kobe Bryant mentoring him:
“Every night, I knew I was getting 30 [points]. I knew it cuz I just figured it out. I figured the game out inside and out. I watched film every day. I prepared on some Kobe sh*t. Like I really did. And he was able to mentor me and… pic.twitter.com/ysTiE7zdBd
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 30, 2024
There is no doubt that Bryant’s guidance of Thomas greatly helped him and made him a much better player.
As he said, he already had raw basketball skills but Bryant allowed him to take the next steps to improve his mental game, which is a huge part of being a terrific NBA star.
It’s not entirely clear when Bryant spent time with Thomas but it was likely when the two-time All-Star was starting in the league.
He averaged 11.5 points and 4.1 assists during his rookie year with the Sacramento Kings but greatly improved in the years ahead and soon scored more than 20 points a night.
Thomas would later move around the league and play for the Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, and more.
He hasn’t played much lately and isn’t officially signed with a team right now, although he recently worked out for the Sacramento Kings.
His career has hit a few speed bumps but he has remained driven through it all, which is another thing he likely learned from Bryant.
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