Mentors and Kobe

Luke had Yoda, the X-Men had professor Xavier, Bruce Wayne had Ra’s al Ghul, Robin had Batman, Larry and Curly had Moe, Uma Thurman had Pai Mei in Kill Bill, Jack Black had Master Shifu in Kung Fu Panda, and Britney Spears had Madonna. Okay, the last one didn’t work out so well but you get the point. Very rarely, if ever, does one achieve greatness without a mentor to guide the way.

In order for a mentor to work, a person must be teachable. This of course requires humility. The humility to be able to admit fault, to learn from personal mistakes, to ask questions, and to realize that we don’t have all the answers nor do we have our act completely together. Once this realization happens the door of excelling blows off its hinges.

My professors at Biola University and pastors at Grace EV Free La Mirada had, and still have, a profound impact on my life. Older and godly men invested in my life. These men have tons of life experience, wisdom, and knowledge. I wanted to tap into that life experience and incorporate that wisdom into my own.

It’s been three years since I’ve graduated from grad school. I have a full-time job, a dog, and a wife. Basically, I’m a busy dude. There is a tendency to rest on my past accomplishments and think I’m okay without further guidance feeling like I’ve “arrived.”

Now, there’s Kobe Bryant who just won a championship last June. For several years he took the brunt of the criticism for the Shaq trade (no one points out that Shaq demanded to be traded that summer but whatever) and destroying a possible dynasty. To add to the insult, critics continue to discount the three championships that Kobe won because “it was with Shaq” as though they didn’t count. Anyone who believes that clearly didn’t see any of the games.

Winning the Finals last June cemented his legacy as one of the best ever to play the game. Kobe could basically tank the rest of his career and his legacy wouldn’t be affected. Despite winning it all, Kobe never felt like he’s “arrived” in a sense that he no longer needs to work. What else can you do if you’re Kobe? Is there anything else left to prove?

A week into this season ESPN.com's J.A. Adande so expertly noted, “Kobe's still doing work -- but he relocated his office … [he] is leading the league in scoring by relying almost exclusively on a post-up game -- even against bigger defenders such as Houston's Shane Battier. In fact, the one notable change about Bryant's 41-point effort in Houston as compared to other efforts against Battier was how deep Bryant was catching the ball.”

John Hollinger says, “You have to admire a guy who comes back from a championship season -- the icing on his career cake, basically -- with a new facet to his game rather than resting on his laurels.”

Kobe is currently averaging 29, 5, and 4 shooting a career high 49% from the field. He is also one of the league leaders in steals at 2.30 a game. He’s having another MVP season and has the Lakers as favorites to win another title. But the new facet of his game didn’t just drop out of the sky. He worked on it with the help of Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the greatest post players of all time. This really blew my mind. This takes a great amount of humility to ask an all-time great, “Hey, I was wondering if you could give me some pointers.” This also takes a passion for the game. No, he's not trying to prove anything. He just wants to get better because he loves the game of basketball.



No, Kobe isn’t as athletic or as explosive as he used to be, but it’s his drive to always continue to get better that will keep him at a superstar level for years to come. This gets back to my main point. There is no retirement in the Christian life. There is always room for improvement and seeking older and wiser people that can offer godly counsel and guidance and above all, accountability is way to "improve" yourself. Kobe continues to find ways to get better and asking someone to mentor him is a good resource. I say we should use the same strategy.