By Jeremiah Tittle, The Guardian
Standing alone at the foul line, Kobe Bryant stares at the rim of the hoop 15 feet away, gripping the basketball
in his right hand, steadying his aim with his left. He raises the ball
to his full height, 1.98m above the rubber floor. He imagines the hush
of the crowd in a packed stadium with only a few seconds remaining in
the gold medal match, achieving an intense focus unmatched by even the
best athletes in sport.
It is not so difficult to imagine. He has
been there before. The five-times NBA champion, who has averaged 25.4
points per game over his career, brings an extra dose of gravitas to the
formidable USA men's basketball squad training in Las Vegas as they
prepare to win gold at the London Olympics.
He stands out. Not
only because he is the only guy wearing a white jersey among this gaggle
of behemoths wearing blue kits emblazoned with the letters USA across
their chests. As the team go through their warm-up routine, it is clear
that something is different about the superstar, physically and
mentally.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/25/kobe-bryant-olympic-team-usa?newsfeed=true
No comments:
Post a Comment