Kobe Bryant’s Return Did Not Go the Way We Expected

As a youth basketball coach, I experienced a strangely familiar feeling when I stayed up that night to watch one of the greatest players of all time return to the court on NBA TV GameTime.

Despite the 3:30 a.m. start, I was genuinely excited to see how the icon would perform.

Just as millions of people had supported Derrick Rose during his comeback, millions were now hoping for Kobe Bryant to succeed — whether they were Lakers fans or not.

Something Was Different

Kobe’s body language made it obvious that he was fighting with himself.

He desperately wanted to meet the expectations surrounding his return.

For several minutes, he barely attacked the basket.

Instead, he tried to contribute by creating opportunities for others.

Defensively, he seemed to overcompensate.

He frequently looked toward his teammates, searching for connection and reassurance.

The familiar ease was missing from his game.

He appeared to be forcing himself into the rhythm of the match.

Even after creating assists, very little changed.

Some of his passes — including one to Pau Gasol — showed flashes of his extraordinary vision, yet even while searching for safe solutions he occasionally drifted into risky decisions.

One pass even seemed to surprise Jonas Valančiūnas so much that he almost forgot to raise his hands to intercept it.

There was no real harmony in Kobe’s movement.

The problems appeared most clearly on defense.

During his limited minutes, he accumulated four relatively easy personal fouls, making it even harder for him to settle into the game and contribute at the level he expected from himself.

When Confidence Begins to Shake

There was hesitation on his drives.

From my perspective, even his first field goal was more complicated than it needed to be. He finished with his left hand — something many people might interpret as skill rather than uncertainty.

And of course, who am I to question Kobe Bryant?

But he simply did not look like himself.

You could sense it at the free-throw line.

You could see it on some of his drives, where it was difficult to understand exactly what he intended to do at the end of the movement.

At times, the ball almost seemed to hesitate in his hands.

That uncertainty eventually resulted in turnovers.

For a serious competitor, this can become one of the most stressful situations in basketball.

And it is particularly difficult to reverse when mistakes begin to accumulate.

Turnover.

Foul.

Missed shot.

Another mistake.

Then another.

The Lesson

Basketball can become a mental stress bomb.

Every small detail can contribute either to success or failure.

The level of expectation placed upon us — and the expectations we place upon ourselves — matter.

So does the lack of recent competitive experience needed to meet those expectations.

The quality of reinforcement matters.

The number of actions and reactions experienced during practice and games matters.

All of these impulses influence performance.

Kobe Bryant was obviously not a youth player.

And because he was an experienced professional, you could see him actively searching for solutions not only within the game itself but also in the way he managed the psychological conflict.

He sought physical contact with teammates more frequently.

He looked for encouraging expressions.

He blew into his hands.

He wiped his face and forehead repeatedly.

During dead-ball situations, an uncomfortable smile occasionally appeared.

His gestures, body language and movements reminded me of young players experiencing something new — perhaps playing in front of a larger crowd for the first time.

As the game progressed, however, something began to change.

His apparent tunnel vision slowly widened.

The familiar Kobe Bryant court vision gradually seemed to return.

Think About the Young Player

We should therefore not be surprised when a beginner becomes anxious when entering the court.

When a young player steps onto that four-line stage, he or she may feel as though everyone is watching.

That feeling has to be managed.

For coaches, this raises several important questions.

What do we say after the player makes a mistake?

How do we respond?

What task do we give next?

Can we give the player a responsibility that increases confidence?

Can we create a situation in which successful execution provides positive reinforcement?

These decisions matter.

Responsibility Builds Confidence

Kobe was also given responsibilities.

Toward the end of the game, he even returned to his familiar role.

His teammates trusted him with it.

But the shots did not fall.

Despite all his effort, he was not the player who could win the game that night.

And that itself was instructive.

After watching Derrick Rose return, I had now received another lesson from basketball’s strongest league.

Everyone has to relearn the game.

Every player needs the opportunity to perform a role.

Every player needs meaningful responsibilities.

They need situations in which they cooperate with teammates and experience for themselves:

• where they currently stand in their preparation,
• what kind of form they are in,
• how reliable their technical skills are,
• what their physical condition allows them to do,
• and how they compare with the players and teams around them.

Even the greatest players experience this process.

In that sense, the biggest stars can sometimes look surprisingly similar to young beginners taking their first steps in organized basketball.

Patience

Development requires progression.

It requires trust.

It requires reinforcement.

It requires practice.

And it requires mental preparation.

The environment surrounding the athlete also carries enormous responsibility.

The coaching staff.

The family.

The media.

The teammates.

The broader environment.

All of them can either help the player move forward or make the process more difficult.

And if even Kobe Bryant needs time, confidence, repetition and patience when returning to competition, perhaps we should remember that the same is even more true for the young players we are trying to develop.

Talent does not remove uncertainty.

Experience does not eliminate stress.

Greatness does not make a player immune to pressure.

Sometimes even a genius needs time to feel like himself again.