NBA: Kobe Bryant Reveals How He Studied Referees To Gain Advantage During Games

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant revealed that he intended to study how the referees officiate to gain advantage during NBA games.

Aside from being regarded as one of the best NBA players of all time, Bryant’s unique approach to the game (Mamba Mentality) has made him legendary. Former Lakers head coach Phil Jackson even said no one attacked his personal habits like Bryant did when he was trying to become the best player in the world.

In his lengthy NBA career, Bryant infused his game with different strategies all intended to better his performance. In fact, the Lakers icon even went to the extremes by learning how to he would be able to utilize the officials to gain advantage during games.

In his book “The Mamba Mentality,” Bryant explained how his obsession in winning led him to studying the referee’s handbook. He managed to grasp that every referee was in charge of a specific part of the court, Basketball Network reported

“I made a point of reading the referee’s handbook. One of the rules I gleaned from it was that each referee has a designated slot where he is supposed to be on the floor. If the ball, for instance, is in place W, referees X, Y, and Z each have an area on the court assigned to them,” Bryant revealed.

Arguably, only from Bryant’s perspective can a person comprehend this theory. Nevertheless, it helped Bryant figure out that there are certain areas on the floor refs don’t have a great view. Ultimately, Bryant claims he got away with a lot of things like traveling and fouls quite frequently when he was in those situations during games.

“When they do that, it creates dead zones, areas on the floor where they can’t see certain things. I learned where those zones were, and I took advantage of them. I would get away with holds, travels, and all sorts of minor violations simply because I took the time to understand the officials’ limitations,” Bryant admitted.

Even now that he’s officially retired, Bryant still has certain point of views that are essential in developing an NBA player’s career. Last month, the five-time NBA champ emphasized that being the best player in the league is the most important thing but finding something to be passionate about after basketball must be considered as well.

Bryant also noted that he encougares players to "find different things to do while still playing." He explained that players should be able to see what they "gravitate to the most" and find something they will love as much as basketball.