Kobe uses participation trophies as motivation
Kobe Bryant being incredibly competitive is nothing new.
After all, he played basketball (briefly) on a torn Achilles once.
So when asked by Jimmy Kimmel on Thursday his thoughts on participation trophies, it's no surprise that he wasn't a huge fan.
"I hate them," he said. "It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
But when asked if they were allowed in his house - possibly a reference to James Harrison's 2015 Instagram post saying that he was giving back his kids participation trophies - he said they were. For a good reason.
Bryant told a story of going to a tournament with the youth team he was coaching and learning that they would receive a trophy … for fifth place. When he asked the players what they were going to do with it, a lot of them said something along the lines of "break it." So, he brought the players - and their parents (no word if this included James Harrison) - into a huddle and gave them this advice:
"I said listen. None of us want this trophy. I get it. But don't break it. Take it home, put it right on the mantle in your room. Every day, look at that trophy, remind yourself that you never win (that trophy) again and use it that way."
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