When we sat down with longtime Lakers trainer Gary Vitti last week, the subject of Kobe Bryant's chances to stay healthy in 2014-15 sparked Vitti's mind about the five things he thinks make Bryant the player he is:
- Extreme athleticism
- Extreme talent
- Outworks everybody
- Incredible toughness
- Intellectual brilliance
Those five things come with "stuff" that Vitti said Bryant would be the "first to admit."
Stuff like … being over-the-top competitive? Going after teammates who aren't bringing full effort? Being disgusted with any and every loss? Focusing 100 percent on being the best at basketball at the expense of everything else?
Depends who you ask. But the point is simple for Vitti. Whatever that "stuff" may be, it's worth it.
Here's the full quote:
As for the answer to that first question about Kobe's chances of staying healthy?
"I have 100 percent confidence that he'll be healthy because of the way he handles his body and the style of play that we'll compete at," said Vitti.
In two-and-a-half more months, we'll find out.