Los Angeles Lakers guard Lou Williams described when he knew the legendary Kobe Bryant was ready to retire.
Bryant came back from an Achilles tear at an unprecedented speed never seen before from a 34-year-old player out of his physical prime.
The injury came in 2013, at the end of the season in which the Lakers were figuring things out on the fly with Bryant, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, and Steve Nash.
The Black Mamba was fully coiled, playing the best basketball of his career up until the injury happened in April against the Golden State Warriors.
Against all odds, he managed to come back to basketball in six months, a ridiculously quick turnaround.
The version of Bryant that returned to the court was a shell of his former self; he lost so much of his athleticism, and his body was finally starting to break down, according to Williams, who played with him during his last season.
“Two-four started that season as Kobe Bryant. Training camp, he was pushing everybody. He was getting his body ready. He was getting his mind ready. He was making sure we all was on the same page,” Williams said on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast “Gil’s Arena.”
“And then as I remember it, I feel like nine, 10 games in, his body started breaking down, and he came to the realization that this was the end, and his mentality shifted. He became a lot lighthearted. He became more easygoing.
Given how much he gave to the Lakers and the game of basketball, Bryant’s body was less of a tragedy, but rather a reflection of how hard he worked day in and day out.
The man left no stone unturned in his improvement, exploring every possible avenue to get better. His approach to life and basketball eventually came to be known as the Mamba Mentality, a mantra that continues to inspire millions of people to this day.
Bryant was always aware of his limitations, especially towards the end of his career.
William felt like the five-time NBA champion knew when it was time to retire by listening to his body.
“I knew at that point he had kinda took his foot off the gas, like he knew his body wasn’t gonna hold up to the standard that he had set for himself,” the former sixth man of the year added.
Bryant pushed the limits of what was expected of himself and his body. Modern-day NBA are inspired by his approach and have had more success coming back from an Achilles injury.
Most notably, Kevin Durant came back at 95% of his former self, still good enough to remain one of the best scorers in the league.
