In the workout camp I ran with Nike and Kobe, he talked to the players about how much he watches games on TV and looks at film. It may be in his living room at home or at the practice facility. His point was that he learns from watching. It gives him an advantage over those players who don’t watch film.

One of the most interesting statements he made was that he sometimes picks up a move from another player he is watching on TV, and it doesn’t matter what level that player is. If it is a move he can put into his game that will make him a better player, then he will work on it.

This is his process for “working on it”:

• run the move over and over and over again until he feels he has it
• do it in slow motion right there in his living room
• execute the move right there as many times as he needs to
• go to the gym the next day and work on it by himself, going as slowly as he needs to so that he executes it properly
• continue to work on it, speeding up until he can do it at game speed on the practice floor
• do it against an opponent (another player, coach, etc)

The lesson here is that he is always open and willing to learn. I have found that to be a characteristic of the great players. They want to know anything that will give them an edge, because “great” isn’t a one-time thing. It takes work to stay great.

The next lesson is that he spends the time needed (no matter how much) to master something new. He invests time in his improvement.

Just as I wished that all players could have seen Ray Allen and Mike Miller in the gym 3 hours before the game (see November 25, 2008 post), I wish all players could observe one of the great players of all time, Kobe Bryant, improving his game and understanding that no one in this game has “arrived.”