Billionaire Road
Kobe Bryant at the free throw line

Born 1978. Died 2020.

Kobe Bryant

Where the hours went: In the gym before sunrise.

He went from high school straight to the NBA at seventeen.
At thirty four he tore his Achilles and was back on the court that December.

Kobe Bryant in his Lakers jersey, set to shoot a free throw
Sgt. Joseph A. Lee, U.S. Army, Kobe Bryant at the free throw line, October 11, 2005. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

In thirty seconds

His hours

Four in the morning, even after he retired.

His rep

Back on the court less than eight months after a torn Achilles.

It reached

Five titles, two Olympic golds and an Oscar.

Most men think the titans got there on talent.
They got there on where the hours went.

01Seventeen

In 1996 he went from Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia straight to the NBA draft.
Charlotte took him thirteenth and traded him to the Lakers.[1][2][3]

02Three in a row

From 2000 to 2002 he won three straight titles with the Lakers.[1][2][3]

03Eighty one

On January 22, 2006, he scored eighty one points against Toronto.
Only Wilt Chamberlain's one hundred is higher.[1][2][3]

04Gold and two more rings

In 2008 he won league MVP and Olympic gold in Beijing.
In 2009 and 2010 he won two more titles, Finals MVP both times.
In 2012 he won a second Olympic gold in London.[1][2][3]

05The Achilles at thirty four

On April 12, 2013, he tore his left Achilles against Golden State.
He had surgery the next day.
On December 8 he was back on the court against Toronto.[1][6][7]

06Dear Basketball

In November 2015 he announced his retirement with a poem, Dear Basketball.
In 2018 the short film made from it won an Oscar.[1][3]

07Four in the morning

After he retired he still got up at four in the morning to train, in his own words.
There was no game left to win.
He kept the hour anyway.[4][5]

08January 2020

On January 26, 2020, he died in a helicopter crash with his daughter Gianna and seven others.
He was forty one.[1][2]

The legend vs. the reps

The legendThe early morning stories are just stories.

The repsHe said it himself.
Retired, with nothing left to train for, he still got up at four in the morning to work out.[4][5]

The legendA torn Achilles at thirty four ends a career.

The repsSurgery the next day.
Back on the court that December, less than eight months later.[6][7]

The legend counts talent.
The record counts reps.
Four in the morning, even with no game left to win.

His years

Every year the record allows, with its source.

1978Born

He was born in Philadelphia.[1][2]

1996At 17

He went from high school to the NBA draft, and the Lakers traded for him.[1][2]

2000At 21

He won the first of three straight titles.[1][2]

2002At 23

He won his third title in a row.[1][2]

2006At 27

He scored eighty one points against Toronto.[1][2]

2008At 29

He won league MVP and Olympic gold in Beijing.[1][3]

2009At 30

He won a fourth title and Finals MVP.[1][3]

2010At 31

He won a fifth title and Finals MVP again.[1][3]

2012At 33

He won a second Olympic gold, in London.[1][2]

2013At 34

He tore his Achilles in April and was back on the court in December.[6][7]

2015At 37

He announced his retirement with the poem Dear Basketball.[1][3]

2018At 39

The film of Dear Basketball won an Oscar.[1][3]

2018At forty

Retired, he was still up at four in the morning to train.[4][5]

2020At 41

He died in a helicopter crash with his daughter Gianna and seven others.[1][2]

Sgt. Joseph A. Lee, U.S. Army, Kobe Bryant, October 11, 2005, cropped. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Where his hours went

In the gym before sunrise.
In rehab the day after the tear.
Still training after the last game.

See where your hours go.

A week is 168 hours.
One minute to see where yours went.

Count your 168 →

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Sources

  1. Fox Television Stations, Timeline: A Look at the Legendary Career of Kobe Bryant (2020): the 1996 draft and trade, the titles of 2000 to 2002 and 2009 and 2010, the 81 points, the Olympic golds, the Achilles, Dear Basketball, the Oscar, his death on January 26, 2020.
  2. CNN, Kobe Bryant Fast Facts: his birth in Philadelphia in 1978, the draft, the titles, the 81 points, the Olympic golds, the Achilles, his death.
  3. Gulf News, Kobe Bryant career timeline: the draft and trade for Vlade Divac, three straight titles, MVP in 2008, two Finals MVPs, the 81 points, Dear Basketball, the Oscar.
  4. CNBC, Retired NBA star Kobe Bryant still wakes up at 4 a.m. every day to work out (September 14, 2018).
  5. theScore, Kobe explains why he continues to work out at 4 a.m. (2018).
  6. Sports Illustrated, Lakers' Kobe Bryant undergoes surgery on Achilles tear (April 13, 2013).
  7. Bleacher Report, Timeline of Kobe Bryant's Return from Devastating Achilles Injury (December 2013): the tear on April 12, the return against Toronto on December 8.