Kobe Bryant Basketball Quotations

These young guys are playing checkers. I'm out there playing chess.

I focus on one thing and one thing only - that's trying to win as many championships as I can.

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.

My parents are my backbone. Still are. They're the only group that will support you if you score zero or you score 40.

I'm reflective only in the sense that I learn to move forward. I reflect with a purpose.

If you're afraid to fail, then you're probably going to fail.

I've played with IVs before, during and after games. I've played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball. I don't miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn't that serious in the first place.

Everyone looks at your watch and it represents who you are, your values and your personal style.

People just don't understand how obsessed I am with winning.

There's been a lot of talk of me being a one-man show but that's simply not the case. We win games when I score 40 points and we've won when I score 10.

I don't want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.

In an individual sport, yes, you have to win titles. Baseball's different. But basketball, hockey? One person can control the tempo of a game, can completely alter the momentum of a series. There's a lot of great individual talent.

The Black Mamba collection of watches is me: It is my alter ego, so to speak. As I mentioned before, it is sharp, cutting edge and sleek which are characteristics I try to apply when I'm out there on the basketball court.

That felt good. That's basketball. That's how basketball was in the '80s. You see Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson standing, talking in the tunnel, and that's basketball.

I was very familiar with him and Eddie (Jones) and Rick Brunson, ... I just know what he's about. He's a steady basketball player, rarely makes mistakes on the floor.

I was very familiar with him and Eddie (Jones) and Rick Brunson. I just know what he's about. He's a steady basketball player, rarely makes mistakes on the floor.

We're starting to play with more of a purpose now, and a clear concept of what we're trying to accomplish out there.

I love him. I've been fortunate to have sat down and talked with him in the past about basketball things and stuff like that. He's an amazing coach. If he's available to be considered, I'm sure he's one of the guys that Mitch and Dr. Buss would consider.

I have played a lot of playoff basketball and I have never had a game quite like this, with our backs against the wall, seemingly out of it, and us just battling back and getting this win. We matured about 10 to 15 years today.

You want to come out here and play good basketball. The fans here know their basketball and want to see good basketball.

It's not about the number of hours you practice, it's about the number of hours your mind is present during the practice

Everyting negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity for me to rise.

Sometimes I do wonder what college would have been like. But I made my decision.

As far as carrying the torch for the years to come, I don't know. I just want to be the best basketball player I can be.

You always have to be on edge. You always have to take every practice, every game, like it is your last.

Horrible, terrible AAU basketball. It's stupid. It doesn't teach our kids how to play the game at all so you wind up having players that are big and they bring it up and they do all this fancy crap and they don't know how to post. They don't know the fundamentals of the game. It's stupid.

Basketball is my refuge, my sanctuary. I go back to being a kid on the playground. When I get here, it's all good.

I didn't expect this award [the 2008 MVP] would come to me. I'm surprised. I've played pretty well in other seasons. Our team hasn't been as good. Things just fell into place.

I don't have to hear that criticism, that idotic criticism anymore.

The guy said NBA players are one in a million, ... I said, 'Man, look, I'm going to be that one in a million.

I was just letting the shots fly. You know, I don't leave any bullets in the chamber.

I've pretty much done all I can here and, you know, God will carry me the rest of the way, so I'm pretty comfortable with that.

I'm playing against great players, playing against the best in the world. The competition-that's what I've always wanted.

The party's just getting started. This is where the fun starts.

For us to be the team that got him that historic 10th championship is special for us.

I'm chasing perfection.

Just got one more than Shaq. You can take that to the bank.

To be honest with you, I (would) much rather play basketball and not be famous.

I'm just right down the middle, man, ... It doesn't matter to me. I'd love him (Phil Jackson) as a coach. It doesn't matter to me. If they want him here, he'll be here. If he wants to come, he'll come, he'll coach and we'll go from there.

I know how to play my guard spot, ... He can worry about the low post.

Everybody wants to talk about NBA players being selfish and arrogant and individuals. But what you saw today was a team bonding and facing adversity and coming out with a big win.

I felt like when we came back from the All-Star break we needed everybody to feel like they were part of the team, ... I'm just trying to do whatever the team needs at any given time.

When I'm finished playing, I want people to say, 'He handled this well, he kept his cool.'

My role is to make sure we're moving in the right direction, getting points, rebounds, steals, assists and providing leadership.

I'm focused on the task that lies ahead for us.

I grew up in front of these people, and now they are seeing me as an 'older' young man.

I don't just try to score. The challenge is elevating my teammates to be able to win a championship.

I'm just so excited. We all are. We've been waiting for this [the gold medal] for years now and it's finally here. This meant so much. It just felt so good.

It doesn't matter to me what place I get traded to. If I was traded someplace - I'd play anywhere.

You just stay patient, that's all.

You just try to take it one day at a time, ... You step on the basketball floor and just play. It's fun. I'm comfortable with it.

The motivation for me is just the game itself, just playing the game the right way and trying to win, compete every time I step out there on the floor. That's motivation enough for me to go out there and play well.

I realize now that there's a strength in dunking that I can use to my advantage. When you dunk all the time it isn't as demoralizing to the opponent, but when you dunk at a key moment in the game you can use it to change the momentum.

I have my own identity ... The whole Michael thing does drive me nuts sometimes because people won't leave it alone. He's bald, I have hair. He's almost 40, I'm 22. Seriously though, I wish people would let it be and let me just be Kobe.

It doesn't bother me at all. Do I hold any hard feelings? Not at all, ... Life is too short to sit around and hold grudges. I don't hold any whatsoever.

I had some shots that I felt like I should've made; I just didn't make them. I'm not going to shoot the ball great every night.

It really doesn't matter to me. We're just talking about clothes. I can understand what the NBA is trying to do. I love my sneakers, but we're just talking about clothes.

A lot of times things get blown out of proportion in a negative light, especially in the NBA, ... But there are a lot of players in the NBA who really care about the community and want to use their basketball-playing ability for a good cause.

I love the weather, I love my '63 droptop Impala, I love the 405, and I love my guys.

Each moment of my life I was dreaming of how great I could be, and continued working hard. Each time I closed my eyes I could see me shining bright like a sun.

I enjoy playing at the heart of it is just a kid who really loves playing the game of basketball.

It's just a matter of getting those legs back.

If they want to win right now, I'm all for it. That's all I said the whole time. If you want to wait five years, let me know. My legs aren't as young as they used to be.

You have to be able to separate business from the love of the game. There were a lot of decisions made business-wise that I wasn't happy with, and I took a lot of blame over the years. But you have to be able to separate that from the love you have for the game.

This is an award I couldn't have won on my own. I can't thank these guys enough. These are my guys, these are my brothers.

I draw from the crowd a lot.

He [Phil Jackson] is such a basketball genius in terms of the details of the game, the little nuances of the game and the rhythm of the game.