The four "airballs" that made Kobe Bryant one of the greatest

The omissions that turned the young lad into a true Mamba

The date is May 12, 1997. Kobe Bryant is one of the most talented players in the National Basketball Association, and the Los Angeles Lakers are counting on the rookie in the league for success in the Western Conference semifinal series against the Utah Jazz. A success that will bring the team back into the battle for a place in the final, as the "Ezerniaks" are trailing with 1:3 wins. Instead, however, he commits extremely glaring mistakes in the continuation of the match. Mistakes known as the four airballs that gave birth to Kobe's star, which became the main reason for the so-called Mamba mentality.

The 18-year-old Bryant at the time shot too poorly and in as many as four situations in the final five minutes of the fifth game of the series with Utah. Instead of crashing and stalling his career, however, he gathers his thoughts that night, and takes mistakes as lessons. A lesson to help him develop his game.

In the end, Utah won the game 98-83 (9-4 points in overtime) at the Delta Center, the hall of the "jazzmen", where fans began to mock the talented basketball player's misses. His more experienced teammate, Shaquille O'Neal, immediately reassures him by saying, “Remember these people who are laughing at you right now. One day we will give it back to them. Do not worry. One day everyone will be chanting your name. Accept what is happening now and learn from it.”

That's what happens. In preparation for the next season, Kobe began special training to develop his shooting. It turns out that the mistakes against Utah, the inaccurate shots, are a product of the lack of physicality. Medicine balls came to Bryant's aid, and the rest is history - 5 championship rings, the 2008 NBA MVP award and two Finals MVP awards.

Kobe himself says about what happened: "It was a turning point for my career. It was time to test my skills. When I think back on these situations, I remember that it was a huge misfortune. But in the end, it helped shape me into who I became in the future. When you're young, you rarely see how such inaccuracies will pay off in the future. If you use them as a driving force, as a motivation, then you can stand up and rise to the top."

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