Kobe Bryant revealed to ESPN that he would have pursued a career in the creative industry, if not for his basketball career. The NBA legend said he had always been interested in art and design, but lacked the confidence to pursue it because of his stature in the sports world.
In an interview with GQ, Kobe Bryant revealed that he would have pursued a career in the creative industry if his NBA career had not come knocking.
Kobe Bryant had a lot crammed into his 41 years until his tragic death in a helicopter accident in 2024. He had an incredible basketball career that cemented his status as an NBA great. It’s obvious that the legacy he’s left will be utilized to inspire and educate people for many years to come. He wrapped his love and devotion to the game in a public persona he carefully portrayed to the world, and that careful curating of his image was exactly what Kobe Bryant would have done if he hadn’t ended up in the NBA.
The Black Mamba character was meticulously developed by Kobe Bryant.
Bryant was more than a basketball player; he was a brand unto himself, and that was on purpose. He meticulously cultivated a public image known as the “Black Mamba,” a physical presence linked with his unique attitude toward not just the game, but life itself.
According to Entertainment Tonight, Bryant developed a “mamba mindset,” which he expressed on public speaking tours to encourage young people to follow in his footsteps of passion and drive. “To summarize what mamba mindset is, it is being able to strive to be the greatest version of yourself all of the time,” Bryant said.
Bryant mirrored these characteristics in his own basketball expertise, with colleagues noting that he spent time between games — and sometimes halves of the same game — analyzing his own techniques and planning improvements. He tackled the sport methodically, with the goal of becoming the greatest.
If the NBA didn’t materialize, Kobe Bryant intended to pursue a creative career.
It’s difficult to picture Bryant doing anything other than playing in the NBA, but the great forward didn’t take the uncommon opportunity for granted. His contingency plan was based on his love of narrative and branding.
According to ESPN, if his professional athletic career didn’t work out, Bryant intended to pursue a career in marketing and advertising. Even yet, Bryant managed to incorporate his passion into his work. “I wrote 90% of my ads myself,” the athlete once said. This piece demonstrates his meticulous management over his image and brand.
Kobe Bryant was able to pursue branding work after investing in BodyArmor.
| Kevin Winter/Getty Images Kobe Bryant attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards Nominee Luncheon.
Bryant’s abilities were not limited to the basketball court. He had resigned from basketball before to his death, and we got a peek into how he intended to incorporate his marketing and narrative skills into his post-NBA career.
Bryant founded Kobe Inc., according to Forbes, and used it to spend millions in the sports drink BodyArmor. Bryant invested more than money in the business; he also had a marketing strategy in mind. “I really like telling the narrative of a brand, which is something I’ve done for years with Nike with my product,” Bryant said, as he linked his previous marketing expertise to his future ambitions.
Bryant wasn’t the only one who had the opportunity to bring a tale to life. He was working on a book series, and one of the chapters — which he co-wrote with novelist Wesley King — was published after his death. According to NBC News, Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, assisted with the book’s promotion on social media. Season One of The Wizenard is a “supernatural young adult book” that follows Reggie, a basketball player aspiring to be the greatest, and his fight against unknown forces attempting to keep him from achieving his goals.
Bryant’s goals were obvious, and they went well beyond his achievements on the court. We would have seen even more of them come out if he had lived longer.
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Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest basketball players ever. He was drafted in 1996 and retired at the end of 2016. If he had not been drafted, what career would he have pursued? Reference: what age did kobe retire.
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