Why Kobe played through injuries: ‘What about fans that saved up to watch me play?’

Vanessa offers another perspective during Hall of Fame speech
May 16, 2021
PHOTO: AP

DURING her acceptance speech on behalf of her late husband during Kobe Bryant’s enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame, Vanessa Bryant provided a key insight into Kobe’s gritty hardcourt perseverance.

The late Lakers legend famously never let little things like career-ending injuries get in the way of playing time. Ankle sprains, torn ligaments, broken fingers — he insisted on playing on, teeth bared against the pain. In 2013, after tearing his Achilles tendon in a game against GSW, he limped to the free throw line before finally walking back, on his own, to the locker room.

Many credited this to Bryant’s uber-competitive spirit. And perhaps this is true.

But in her speech, Vanessa Bryant offered another perspective.

“People don’t know this, but one of the reasons my husband played for injuries and pain was because he said I remember being a little kid sitting in the nosebleeds with his dad to watch my favorite player play. He could recall the car ride, the convos and the excitement of being lucky enough to have a seat in the arena,” she said during the ceremony.


It was the feeling of being a fan, and being there for the fans, that kept Kobe going.

She continued, “Kobe didn’t want to disappoint his fans, especially the ones in the 300 sections that saved up to watch him play. The kids with the same excitement he once had.”

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Vanessa would often urge him to think of himself first.

“I remember asking him why he couldn’t just sit a game out because he was hurting,” she recalled. “He said, ‘What about the fans that saved up to watch me play just once?’ He never forgot about his fans. If he could help it, he would play every minute of every game. He loves you all so much.”

Read the rest of Vanessa’s speech here:

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And read our roundup of the entire Hall of Fame ceremony here:

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PHOTO: AP
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