Pretty sure I’ve watched this GIF loop at least 76,865 times over my lifetime. I can’t think of any other word for it than ‘mesmerizing’. Like I bet you just watched it loop 5 times before deciding (o

Pretty sure I’ve watched this GIF loop at least 76,865 times over my lifetime. I can’t think of any other word for it than ‘mesmerizing’. Like I bet you just watched it loop 5 times before deciding (or not) to scroll through or read the caption.⁣
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Imagine having that sort of clarity in your mind: you’re playing ball in front of 20,000 people a stones throw away and all eyes are on you. Instead of that making you more reactive, you don’t even flinch. You’re so mentally locked in that your muscle memory doesn’t even kick in.⁣
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What could possibly be going on inside the mind of someone when a notorious competitor could literally gun a ball at your face from less than 6 inches away and your body doesn’t even register to flinch. You’re simply THAT confident that it’s not going to happen. His mind was in such a different space that his body - his own muscles - didn’t even register the potential threat. Or they made a thousandth-of-a-second decision to not give a f*ck whatsoever. For most of us, it would be a split second involuntary response to flinch and it’s like it didn’t even consider in his muscles that it was an actual possibility.⁣
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I heard Kobe talking about this moment in an interview and he was saying how him and @matt_barnes9 had the opportunity to discuss this play over dinner one night and Barnes was just in awe...Like ‘guy, I was trying to embarrass you on national television and I was the one who ended up embarrassed’⁣
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Anyway, this is my favorite Kobe GIF. Share ‘em if you got ‘em! #ripkobe #ripgigi #mambamentality #thesneakersavant #thesneakersavantremembers #shoemetrics #sneakers #sneakerhead #baller #dontflinch #igsneakercommunity #niketalk #nikekobe #mesmerizing #mentalclarity