Another example of Kobe Bryant’s legendary motivation: after losing to Boston in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant reminded himself of the pain by forcing himself to listen to the celebratory songs that were played as the Celtics won the title.
Bryant listened to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” right up until the Lakers got their revenge in 2010. Celtics fans had sung the tune at TD Garden as the team was closing out game six.
“It was a tough two years in between,” Bryant told reporters Friday, via Eye on Basketball. “I remember when we were losing, they played that song, that Journey song, and the whole arena started singing that song, and I hated that damn song for two years. Seriously, man. But I listened to the song every single day because it just reminded me of that feeling.
“Same thing with the Dropkick Murphys. Like, I’m listening to the Dropkick Murphys all the time just because I wanted to remember that feeling, you know what I mean? To go back in 2010 and have that redemption — I was telling Metta [World Peace] on the bench when Paul Pierce was running back down, ‘You know, Metta, I’m so damn happy we won that 2010 Finals. I’d be sick a s— sitting here right now.’ And he felt the same way.”
The Lakers, of course, got their revenge two years later, beating the Celtics in a hard-fought seven game series, a victory which freed Bryant from the shackles of “Don’t Stop Believin’.” If your motivational tactic is listening to a Journey song that reminds you of what must have been one of the worst moments of your professional career, well, I suppose you deserve the payoff.
