Kobe Bryant ruptured his Achilles in April 2013 and posted a raw 3:30 AM Facebook vent cycling through fear and self-doubt before shifting to silver linings. He returned to play and scored 60 points in his final game, proving the recovery was mental, not physical.
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Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick, and welcome to the No Days Off podcast, where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. Most people probably remember Kobe Bryant for his dominance, his 5 championships, the 81 points he put up, just the, the way he played the game. And he's gone down as one of the greatest to ever do it. But I actually think the most human and defining moment in Kobe's career, it actually came at 3:30 in the morning after one of the most brutal injuries in sports. It wasn't an interview, it wasn't on stage, it wasn't on Facebook. It was in a moment of pain in confusion and raw honesty. I think that's where Kobe showed us what real mental toughness looks like. So let me set the scene for you, okay? The date was April 12th, 2013, and Kobe's Lakers were playing the Golden State Warriors. Kobe had been carrying the Lakers as he, as he always did, but he was especially carrying them this particular season. Playing super heavy minutes, and he was doing everything he could possibly do to drag that team into the playoffs. And with just a few minutes left in that game in the fourth quarter, he made a move that he'd done a million times where he drove to the left of the basket, he'd plant and push off, except this time his Achilles snapped. There was no contact, there was no warning, there was just this pop. And then Kobe fell to the ground. But Kobe did what only Kobe would do. He stood back up, he walked to the free throw line, he sank both of the shots, and then he walked off the court. He knew, he knew he was in trouble and that his, his season was over. Now, later that night, or actually technically it was early the next morning, Kobe went to Facebook. He posted on Facebook. It wasn't PR, it wasn't filtered. It was Kobe, 34 years old, in pain, medicated, probably staring at the ceiling and just being real. I want to read to you what Kobe wrote on Facebook. I'm going to read it verbatim. This is such BS. All the training and sacrifice just flew out the window with one step that I've done millions of times. The frustration is unbearable. The anger is rage. Why the hell did this happen? It makes no damn sense. Now I'm supposed to come back from this and be the same player or better at 35? How in the world am I supposed to do that? I have no clue. Do I have the consistent will to overcome this thing? Maybe I should break out the rocking chair and reminisce on the career that was. Maybe this is how my book ends. Maybe Father Time has defeated me. Then again, maybe not. It's 3:30 AM. My foot feels like dead weight. My head is spinning from the pain meds and I'm wide awake. Forgive my venting, but what's the purpose of social media if I won't bring it to you real, no image? Feels good to vent. Let it all out. To feel as th— as if this is the worst thing ever. Because after all the venting, a real perspective sets in. There are far greater issues and challenges in the world than a torn Achilles. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Find the silver lining and get to work with the same belief, same drive, and same conviction as ever. One day, the beginning of a new career journey will commence. Today is not that day. If you see me in a fight with a bear, pray for the bear. I've always loved that quote. That's Mamba mentality. We don't quit. We don't cower. We don't run. We endure and conquer. I know it's a long post, but I'm Facebook venting. LOL. Maybe now I could actually get some sleep and be excited for surgery tomorrow. It's the first step of a new challenge. I guess I'll— I will be coach for the rest of the season. I have faith in my teammates. They will come through. Thank you for all your prayers and support. Much love always. Mamba out. Pretty awesome post. He talked about how frustrating and senseless the injury felt. He questioned if he'd ever be the same player again. He wondered aloud if Father Time had finally won. And then in the same post, he shifts. He actually catches himself and he says, and I'm kind of paraphrasing here, uh, stop feeling sorry for yourself, find the silver lining, get to work with the same belief and same drive and same conviction as ever. That, that moment, that pivot, I think is, is one of the many things that made Kobe different. The willingness to feel everything but to still get back to work. Now, what happened next? Kobe had surgery. He began his rehab, and as you'd expect, he didn't exactly rehab casually. He trained at midnight. He showed up before the sun. He attacked his recovery like, like it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals. And then 8 months later, just 8 months later, In December of 2013, he returned to the court. Now, was he the same? Of course not. That Achilles had taken something from him. And over the next few years, he would actually suffer more injuries, a fractured knee. I think he tore his rotator cuff, but he always kept coming back until finally in April of 2016, in the last game of his career at 37 years old, Kobe put up 60 points. Not because he was the same athlete, but because he was the same competitor. His body may have given out, but his mindset certainly never did. And I think that's one of the reasons we talk about Kobe today, and that's what made him so legendary. Now, I think there's 3 lessons that we can pull from that 3:30 AM post, and they're worth, I think, revisiting because they apply to anyone any member of the No Days Off Nation that's in a fight right now. First, you don't need a plan, you just need the will. See, Kobe didn't need a roadmap. He didn't have a roadmap. He literally said, "I have no clue how I'm gonna do this." And I think that's the part we all relate to. When you're hurt, when you're down, when something goes sideways, you don't need to know the exact steps. You just need to decide you're gonna find a way. The will comes first. I think the path comes later. Next, I think it's okay to break down. Just don't stay there. Kobe's post was full of frustration and anger and pain that he talked about. He let it out. He felt it. And I think that's really, really important. You don't have to be superhuman to build something legendary. But the difference here is after you break down, you have got to get back to work. It's okay to break down. You just cannot stay there. You have to dust yourself off and get back on the horse and get going. And then the third core lesson, I think that Kobe's mentality, this Mamba Mentality he talked about, it's a lifestyle. It's not, it's not a slogan. As Kobe said it, we don't quit, we don't cower, we don't run. This mama mentality isn't about being perfect. It's about being relentless. Relentless when it hurts, relentless when you're tired, even when you're not sure you could do it again. So, you know, I want to ask you, if you listen this far, what's your 3:30 AM moment? Maybe it's already happened for you. Maybe it's coming, but you'll know it because it's, it's going to hurt. It's going to shake you, and it's going to ask you a question. That question is, are you done or are you just getting started? See, Kobe chose to keep going, and he didn't finish with, uh, with a whimper. He didn't go out like that. He finished with 60 points. And that's what his mentality was all about. That's what his mentality was all about. And I think we could all relate to this in some fashion. You get to decide, only you get to decide whether or not you're done. That's all I have for you today, the No Days Off podcast. Thank you so much for listening. And remember, every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. So let's get after it.
