Kobe Bryant Has Been Studying Paul Pierce’s Game
The most recent Sports Illustrated cover story was on Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant. Chris Ballard spent six days with Bryant in China — observing and cataloguing the fan craze, asking questions about Kobe’s drive going into the final chapter of his career, and more.
Bryant, 36, shared with Ballard that one of his latest studying hobbies is analyzing the game of his veteran peer Paul Pierce, who is also 36. His stated goal in doing so is to embrace the mentality of being “more efficient” on the court,
I’m going to max [my last two years] out too, to do whatever I can. Leave no stone unturned, no water left in the sponge.
As we know, Kobe Bryant is one of the more adept and obsessive students of the game of basketball. In his 18 years of NBA tenure we’ve seen his game seamlessly (and some would argue progressively) emulate that of Michael Jordan. Those “identical plays” videos of Kobe and Mike make that perfectly evident.
In this case, Kobe won’t necessarily look to copyright Paul Pierce’s moves, but rather observe the ways he continues to be efficient at his age. Pierce is now a member of the Washington Wizards but spent last season as the veteran anchor for the Brooklyn Nets. His game has always had a hint of “old man” to it, even in his prime. He’s never had a flashy repertoire. In the final stages of Kobe’s career where he might feel his flashiness is waning, Paul Pierce is probably the blueprint for maintaining that effectiveness in your latter years.
Few would argue that Kobe’s basketball capabilities don’t far exceed Pierce’s in the grand scheme of things, but it is clear that Bryant remains not only a devoted student, but committed to stretching himself to the furthest of his remaining abilities.