Kobe Bryant’s surprise advice to teen self: ‘Understand compassion and empathy’

KOBE Bryant earned NBA icon status as a ferocious competitor. Nearing retirement, he was asked what advice he would give his young self and his response was surprising.

AS 2015 melts into 2016, it’s really starting to hit home how little of Kobe Bryant we have left. And the most telling sign that things are winding down for the Los Angeles Lakers star is the degree to which Bryant has embraced the role of elder statesman.

He’s telling Kevin Durant to be the greatest. He’s sitting himself to let the Lakers’ young players shine. And he’s offering advice to his younger self - words of wisdom that fly in the face of Bryant’s career.

“It’s hard to tell somebody - a player at that age - to understand compassion and empathy, but that would be my advice,” Bryant, 37, said after Monday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, via ESPN. “It tends to come with time.”

Kobe Bryant preaching understanding and empathy. Who would have thought?

Bryant said he had been grappling with juggling bloody-mindedness and empathy for more than a decade, recalling a specific moment with teammate Rick Fox.

“It was in a meeting at Southwest College [in Los Angeles], and we were having a team meeting and Rick Fox said, ‘Kobe, we just want to feel like you need us,’” Bryant said.

“I was like, ‘What the hell is this grown-ass man [saying]? What are you talking [about]?’ But then, it kind of caught me, because it was a very vulnerable thing for him to say, and it helped me have perspective on what he may be going through and what he’s feeling. And then, from that standpoint, it really changed my mentality and how I kind of looked at it, and I’ve been working on it ever since.”

Kobe Bryant has been ferocious with teammates and rivals alike during his epic NBA career.

It makes for a great narrative. Bryant, the ultimate competitor who modelled his game and his approach to basketball after Michael Jordan, realises in his old age that compassion and empathy might have led to more titles. If only Bryant had been able to get along with Shaquille O’Neal, perhaps he’d have six ... or seven ... or eight rings, right?

Maybe. But maybe not. Would a more compassionate Bryant have been as successful as he was? At what point was his nature an intrinsic part of his success? Could a Black Mamba who saw opponents and teammates as human beings been so capable of crushing the life out of those who stood in his way?

There’s a middle ground, of course, where the young, brash Bryant tempers his hotheadedness with a little bit of empathy for those around him. And surely, that would be ideal. Yet to ask a teenager to strike that balance is optimistic at best. Bryant’s aggression and passion for competition helped him to five rings. To look back and ask for more is asking too much.

This story originally appeared on FOX Sports US

Originally published as Kobe Bryant’s surprise advice to teen self: ‘Understand compassion and empathy’