If you want to learn how to be a leader, Kobe Bryant is definitely someone who can give you words of wisdom. Anthony Davis got some quality time with the Black Mamba in the summer of 2015 at a Nike event. It was also Bryant who, more than anyone on the gold medal-winning 2012 U.S. Olympic squad, took the most interest in Davis, the lone college player on the team. Having just signed a five-year contract extension to stay in New Orleans, Davis felt it was time to take ownership of his team. He asked Bryant for advice.
via Bleacher Report:
Bryant pooh-poohed the notion that a leader is just someone who puts his arm around you. He argued that a leader doesn’t care if everyone likes him, which obviously shook the caring Davis at his core. But a leader makes damn sure, Bryant told him, that everyone respects him.
That respect is tied to a willingness to challenge guys for their own betterment and the team’s greater good.
“A guy has something in his teeth, and other guys just talk to him and let him be. They’re not going to tell him,” Bryant told Davis. “I’m going to be the guy to tell you you’ve got something between your teeth. Then it’s on you whether you want to walk around looking stupid. But I am going to tell you.”
The message stuck with Davis—even if he wasn’t quite strong enough or frustrated enough to act on it until now.
“I know in order for us to win, in order for us to have success, I’ve got to get out of my comfort zone. That’s what I’m determined to do this year,” said Davis.
