"Kobe Bryant got up in the middle of the night to go shoot"

The Mamba Mentality, How I play . Prefaced by the immense Phil Jackson, with photos of Andrew Bernstein, the one who followed him from his arrival in the League until the last basket. For those who missed it, this is the biography written by Kobe Bryant himself released in the fall in France. We confess to having missed it, an error that we will quickly make up for in the last tribute to the star of the Lakers, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday in Los Angeles. Fortunately, Vincent Radureau, NBA specialist at Canal +, was on hand for the translation. He tells us what he learned about the incredible work ethic of the "Black Mamba".

The Mamba Mentality - How I Play
Kobe Bryant pic.twitter.com/qWr1lR3tlb

What best defines “Mamba Mentality”, to use the title of the book?

Before tackling the translation, I wondered why he had chosen this title. And then I understood. I understood that everything was in the intensity of the work. Kobe, it was this incredible determination that made him never stop working constantly. During each pre-season preparation, he got up in the middle of the night to go to the training room, repeating the same shoot 100 times or 200 times. And once he was done, around 7 a.m., he took a one-hour nap in his car. It was Phil Jackson who first told this. He arrived at the room and saw Kobe's car alone in the parking lot. He was napping before group training. This guy was a basketball genius, he succeeded in movements of rare elegance, but it was not only talent, it was also an absolutely crazy work force. There are very few people who can have these kinds of abilities.

Has this work ethic always accompanied Kobe Bryant's career?

In fact, he immediately defined himself as a student of the game. Even when he was a kid, he never stopped wondering about the game and questioning the players and coaches, until he got drunk. He always wanted to know more, at 15 he was already a hyper perfectionist and he says that when he went to a playground he wanted to succeed the move he had seen on VHS a little earlier. He did not leave without having succeeded. He had almost that in his life, apart from his wife and daughters, and it continued. The day after the lost final in Detroit, in 2004, all his teammates were exhausted after an endless season. Well he goes to "Paradise", the training room, to work saying "No way that this title will escape me next year".

His self-confidence was sometimes combined, particularly at the start of his career, with a certain arrogance. Was Bryant as hateful as he was awesome?

Many people thought that this arrogance was its shadow and that it was unbearable. But I firmly believe that it is part of the character of champion. You have to be aware of being a supreme being to accomplish such a career. I also noticed with Federer that I have been around a lot all these years. At first he was the nicest guy in the world, then for a moment he put a distance with the others and that's where he became Federer. But for Kobe, there was a changeover in 2008 with the Beijing Olympics. He turns into a big brother because everyone looks at him like the legend he is becoming. It's because he's there that guys like LeBron or Wade come, because they grew up with him. And then he returned to the Lakers. Alone. Without Shaq at his side, facing "the hardest opponent he had to face" (Boston), as he says himself.

Many NBA stars seemed very touched by his disappearance? Did he agree with everyone?

What Pau Gasol says in particular is very strong. I didn't think there was such a connection between them. Kobe could be foul with his teammates [He didn't speak to some even after several years together], but he changed with age. In the book, he returns to the arrival of the Spaniard. At the time Gasol joined the team in Washington on the day of a match. He is quite happy to sign but as soon as he arrives in the hotel lobby, he receives a phone call from Kobe who says "Now you come to my room". And the discussion was quick: "I'm going to explain something to you this year, we're both going to be champions". Gasol immediately understood who the guy was.

Beyond devastated ... my big brother ... I can't, I just can't believe it

Can't we talk about Bryant without talking about his relationship with Jordan? What did MJ mean to him?

Jordan is the only guy he saw as a model, he pestered him a lot for advice, and Jordan saw that there was quite a phenomenon in front of him. Besides, that's what MJ said in his message on Sunday evening: he lost a little brother. This foolish debate had long been over whether it was better, if it was the successor, the two had a unique talent. You should know that part of his bio is built in the form of a duel. Duels against Vince Carter, against Tim Duncan, against Allen Iverson, "a player as small as extraordinary". He highly valued Iverson. On Jordan, he describes a photo of the two together during a match where MJ leans on him. I think the legend of Kobe is something like "This photo taught me a lot". He wanted to explain by this that this photo was the example not to follow in the way of approaching a duel on the ground. Jordan was surely his only master.

#RT @SportsCenter: Michael Jordan reacts to the death of Kobe Bryant and sends his condolences to basketball fans around the world. pic.twitter.com/TE0rHW3gyx

Has Kobe Bryant ever doubted his career?

Maybe twice. His first reaction after his serious Achilles tendon injury is full of doubt. He wonders if he will be able to return. And then the mamba mentality quickly took over. It has exploded all the standards. He came back much faster than everyone thought, in just 6 months when this kind of injury requires up to a year of care. Bryant had an unthinkable resistance to pain. When he “farted” the tendon in 2013, he said instantly that he saw that there was a ball behind his foot and that he was trying to put the tendon back in his hand. Then he will draw (and score) his free throws. Another time, he returned to the field despite a broken hand. And then there is his last game against Utah. When he arrives at the room, he tells himself that it is the last time and he explains that he does not know if it will be historic or if he will miss it. His start to the match is awful, and then what follows ... well, that's Kobe.

Sport

Death of Kobe Bryant: When the former Lakers star learned basketball in France, in Mulhouse

Sport

Death of Kobe Bryant: A team of 18 investigators on site to determine the causes of the crash

• Lakers
• NBA
• Sport
• Basketball
• Kobe Bryant