After 17 years in the NBA, Kobe Bryant is still one of the best players in the league.
And there's one reason why — his insane work ethic.
Even after going down with a devastating Achilles injury at the end of the 2012-2013 season, Kobe kept working, and now he says he's way ahead of schedule on his recovery. In fact, he says he "shattered" the timetable for recovery from his surgery, and that he should be back for preseason instead of missing games well into the 2013-2014 season.
But that's just Kobe for you.
We picked out our favorite Kobe stories that illustrate just how hard he works.
They include marathon workouts, playing teammates to 100 after practice, and refusing to eat the junk food he loves the most.
He decided to lose 16 pounds for the Olympics in 2012
Kobe has never been out of shape, but he decided to change himself as a precautionary measure. He told the Guardian:
"With summer basketball leading directly into the season — and I'm expecting to play until next June — I have to take some load off my knees. I've got to shave some of this weight."
Source: Guardian
Showed up at 5 a.m. and left practice at 7 p.m. ... in high school
Source: SI
He'd make high school teammates play one-on-one games to 100
Kobe played a bench warmer to 100 multiple times when he was in high school.
In Kobe's worst game, he still won 100-12.
Source: SI
See the rest of the story at Business Insider