The Mamba Mentality: How I Play

The Mamba Mentality is divided into two parts; the first, “Process,” is focused on conveying Bryant’s philosophical approach, which he distinguishes from his mechanical, technical approaches, described in the second part, “Craft.” Both sections are structured similarly—Bryant presents his core ideas and observations with a subhead that is explored in typically brief, two to three paragraph reflections.

In “Process,” Bryant recounts how he was determined not to become self-conscious about his game, even as a 17-year-old new draft pick. He realized that he would rather risk embarrassing himself by taking chances than risk missing out on opportunities to learn. As he watched the players around him on his team and the opposing teams they faced, he did not hesitate to incorporate the techniques that he saw, even if he might look foolish or fail in his initial attempts to execute them. As a young player, Bryant hoped to make a positive impression in his interactions with the media, but he realized later in life that people were going to like him or not, regardless of what he said or did. He remained polite and engaging in interviews, but he decided it would be a waste of his efforts to try to convince others to see him in a certain way.