Kobe Bryant: "First time I ever heard": Kevin Huerter reminisces Kobe Bryant's unusual 'mamba mentality' advice

Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter was amazed on learning of the shrewd manner in which the late great Kobe Bryant approached his basketball career. In particular, Huerter cited how ‘Black Mamba’ just knew what he wanted to accomplish and went for it.

The six-year NBA veteran highlighted that by reposting a portion of an interview of Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum on the Point Forward podcast of former NBA stars Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner on X (formerly called Twitter).

In the clip, Tatum recaalled his experience as a youth attending a camp where Bryant spoke about second options. The five-time NBA champion said that he never had a plan B for his basketball career and that he just channeled all his time and energy to being the best player he could be.

Tatum said that it resonated with him while Kevin Huerter was left astonished, writing on his post:

"Remember this. First time I ever heard someone say you shouldn’t have a backup plan."

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For sure, such “Mamba Mentality” served Bryant well throughout his illustrious career.

Apart from winning five NBA titles, all with the LA Lakers, he was a two-time NBA Finals MVP, one-time league MVP, 18-time NBA All-Star, four-time NBA All-Star Game MVP, 11-time All-NBA First Team member, nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member, and a two-time NBA scoring champion.

Bryant was also a two-time Olympic gold medalist and was posthumously enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021, a year after he died in a helicopter crash.

For his part, Huerter is building a steady career in the NBA. Now in his second year with the Kings, he's producing 12.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and three assists for Sacramento (11-8).

Kevin Huerter cites continued improvement as motivation for him this season

Kevin Huerter has said that continued improvement of his game is motivation for him.

In an interview with SactownSports.com, the former Maryland player shared that in the offseason he spent developing his game further to help the Kings in their ongoing NBA campaign. The 25-year-old said:

“Really just across the board, just trying to become more efficient and better at what I already do. That’s fuel for this year’s motivation.”

Kevin Huerter was selected 19th overall by Atlanta in the 2018 NBA Draft. He spent his first four years in the NBA with the Hawks, where he averaged 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 274 games.

Last year, he was traded to the Kings in exchange for Maurice Harkless, Justin Holiday and a future first-round pick. In Sacramento, he has averaged 14.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, three assists and a steal in 93 games.