Kobe Bryant Quotes

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

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

I was probably born a scorer, but I was made a winner. Whatever works, whatever wins championships, wins games, that's what I do.

Are you willing to push the right buttons even if it means being perceived as the villain? … I'd rather be perceived as a winner than a good teammate. I wish they both went hand in hand all the time but that's just not reality. … I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success.

The thing that's most enjoyable to me is not actually beating someone [in the game]. It's the process of coming up with the blueprint of beating that I enjoy. That's a huge flip, so for me I enjoy building. I enjoy coming up.

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.

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.

Listen to how everyone is talking about you. You have to use it as fuel for motivation.

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

I wanna be the best, simple and plain

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

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

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

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.

When you have empathy toward your opponents, it helps you destroy them quicker. Because you understand exactly who they are. You understand what buttons to push. You understand if they're insecure, if they fear embarrassment. And you can really hit those buttons to strike a nerve.

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

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

I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. No matter what the injury - unless it's completely debilitating - I'm going to be the same player I've always been. I'll figure it out. I'll make some tweaks, some changes, but I'm still coming.

Twitter is great to connect with fans and be transparent. I enjoy that aspect about it. But really, I'm still trying to figure it out.

My brain cannot process failure... It WILL not process failure

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.

If you don't believe in yourself...nobo dy else will.

I draw from the crowd a lot.

Sports are such a great teacher. I think of everything they've taught me: camaraderie, humility, how to resolve differences.

I've been watching Messi for some time now, and his ability to decide games and keep possession of the ball is amazing.

Everybody shut up. Let us work.

If you make it, great. If you miss it - what's there to be afraid of?

There's a much bigger world out there.

I've got four dogs, and I just don't do dog doo. I'm a diva when it comes to that.

I was an idiot when I was a kid.

Once you know what it is in life that you want to do, then the world basically becomes your library. Everything you view, you can view from that perspective, which makes everything a learning asset for you.

I'm not jumping through the gym by any means. But I don't need to be able to do that in order to be a great player.

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

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

Isn't the basis of a democracy to send somebody to Washington to bring something back for you? ... It isn't?

I wouldn’t say I’m a ball hog. I’m a shooter. I don’t necessarily hog the ball, but I put them up though. I definitely much rather shoot it than pass it. That’s just how I am.

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

Everybody has a different journey.

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

It's hard for me to grasp the concept of somebody being nervous when I'm talking to them.

Thank god, I'm not from this world.

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.

If you want to make history, you have to do historic things

You just stay patient, that's all.

The people who truly know me know what I'm like. There have been people who try to say things that aren't fair, and I check them. And then they don't like me because I checked them.

One thing you gotta know about me is I have absolutely no filter. I have no problem saying what the hell I think of someone.

I love going one-on-one with someone. That's what I do. I've never lost. It's a whole different game, just to have them right in front of you and be able to do whatever you want.

I never tried to prove anything to someone else. I wanted to prove something to myself.

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

There's a difference [between taking a charge and flopping]. We all know what flopping is when we see it. The stuff that you see is where guys aren't really getting hit at all and are just flailing around like a fish out of water. That's kind of like, where are your balls at?

Everything has a purpose. And that purpose has a story that goes along with it. It just depends on what your passion is.

I don't think a coach becomes the right coach until he wins a championship.

Being a leader, it's the art of trying to find the balance, the right times with each individual and what they need at that moment. It requires looking outward as opposed to looking inside.

He shouldn't have been in the NBA, but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard.

Diligent accumulation of personal wealth is not inherently ungodly so long as it is complemented by equally diligent distribution of personal wealth.

Nobody in the world can guard me one-on-one.

I don't talk trash often, but when I do, I go for the jugular.

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.

If there were camera phones back in the day, the biggest athletes in the world would have had a lot of explaining to do.

I write all day and outline stories, a sports mythological universe.