At this stage in his game

At this stage in his game, Kobe is straight-upTraining Day―he’s surgical with this bitch. When he wanted to get stronger, he hired Tim Grover to be his personal trainer. When he wanted to get better in the post, he went and saw Hakeem Olajuwon. Kobe’s arrogance may still be unmatched, but it’s balanced with a certain humility―he understands that there are others he can learn from.

　　SLAM:I’m sure you remember that fable, the ant and the grasshopper. Middle of summer and the grasshopper’s just chillin’ while the ant’s piling stuff up for winter. In the League today and especially from your Draft class, you’re one of very few ants with a lot of grasshoppers. Do you watch what’s happening with AI, or with Steph, or with Toine? Does that validate your process?

　　KOBE:It validates my process for me. This is what’s worked well for me. You know, it’s―I take a lot of pride in the longevity that I’ve had. Because I’ve seen a lot of great players hit that really hot mark. And I just kind of hover around, hover around, a decade goes by and I’m still here. So I take a lot of pride in being able to do what I do at this level for so many years.

　　SLAM:I talked to Grant Hill about getting older and playing as you’re older, and he talked about how the game slows down, and it gets simpler. Has that been the case for you?

　　KOBE:I don’t know if it’s slowed down any more. I think I understand my game more. I know what I want to do, I know what I do great, I know what I do well, you know what I mean? I know exactly where I want to go and what to do, and how teams play me, because I’ve seen them so many times now. So I think that’s what happens, for me anyway. I have a better understanding of what I like to do.