Training to Be a Better You Karmic Kamikaze

Years ago I watched an NBA game late one night around this time of the year. The Lakers found themselves the hottest team entering Miami to face the team of potential. Miami was on a 6 game slide and had pointed to the matchup as a way to right their ship in a single game. They did so and won. Kobe Bryant, the Lakers’ perennial MVP candidate and two-time reigning NBA champ, had a poor shooting night. By all accounts he had hit all the shots that mattered in the game save closing the game out when he could, typically his strong suit.

And afterwards, what did he do? He walked out onto the other team’s home court AFTER the game and shot for another hour and a half, many from the same area he had missed the shot before. Amazing. Even more impressive, he had done the same a few hours before the game, before anyone else had arrived. When asked why, he said that he needed to improve; he had to make those shots. It was his job.