“Everything negative — 
pressure, challenges — 
is all an opportunity 
for me to rise.” 
Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant’s quote reminds us that we have the ability to reframe adversity as opportunity. We have the opportunity to embrace fear and dedicate ourselves to a relentless work ethic to overcome obstacles. Wise words from one of the best professional basketball players ever to play the game.

My youngest son, Brendan, is quite familiar with what has come to be known as the Mamba Mentality. Brendan, who will be 34 in March, looks to Kobe as a role model both on and off the court. The image above depicts Brendan at a workout at the gym on Friday, May 3, 2025. Sadly, three days later, doing the same thing at the same gym, he sustained a total rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee. The following day, he underwent reconstructive surgery and began a long process of recovery.

From the time I first arrived at the hospital the evening of May 3rd, I was impressed with Brendan’s attitude. As disruptive as it was to his new career providing individual training for athletes, his focus was on recovery, not self-pity. This positive outlook, and his commitment to rehabilitating his knee, enabled Brendan to be back on the court, both coaching and playing basketball, within six months. His doctor had predicted that recovery would take a full year. Since that time, his new business, True Form Basketball, has experienced consistent growth.

One might think that after such a successful comeback, Brendan would have been devastated when this past Monday, January 12th, he sustained a similar injury in his left knee. He is back in the hospital recovering from yesterday’s surgery to repair the torn tendon. Despite the setback, he is, once again, turning to the inspiration of Kobe Bryant, who had his own physical setbacks, including a season-ending torn Achilles tendon, during his playing days with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mamba Mentality is a mindset focused on relentless self-improvement, hard work, and the constant pursuit of becoming the best version of yourself, both on and off the court. In Kobe’s own words, it’s about “focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most.”

Former Carnegie-Mellon professor Randy Pausch, in his now famous The Last Lecture, said this about dealing with obstacles in life: “The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.”

Brendan knows what he wants, and he’s not going to let a torn tendon stop him from pursuing his goals with passion and commitment.