Kobe Bryant and Taylor Swift had a lot of things in common. Even though both practiced completely different careers, Bryant and Swift are towering figures in their fields. A recently published article resurfaced the inspiring comments that Bryant made praising Swift, sharing how much he admired her success and wished to emulate it in his own career.
The article was published in Inc and was written by Jeff Haden, who discussed how Bryant's comments were how he approached his professional career and perhaps one of the reasons for his success.
Bryant was featured six years ago on The Jordan Harbinger Show, where he was asked about his musical tastes. When asked if Bryant listened to Taylor Swift, Bryant said that he did and that he admired her greatly.
"I think it’s important to listen to people who do great things. Taylor has been at the top of the game for a very, very long time. How and why?" said Bryant.
"How does she write? How does she get into that mental space to be able to create things, over and over and over. It’s a lot of pressure for her to follow up a No. 1 album with a better album, and then follow it with a better one. I don’t care if you like her music or don’t like her music, look at what she’s doing. It’s unbelievable to be able to pull that off, over and over and over again."
Bryant's concluding comment can be interpreted as how he approached his life and his sport -- always looking to find ways to improve. "I look at things like that to try to learn from them as much as I can," he said.
Bryant and Swift's bond dates back years
While Swift and Bryant may seem like an unlikely pairing, the two have a bond that dates back years, with Bryant appearing at some of Swift's concerts and Swift maintaining a relationship with his wife Vanessa and his daughters to this day.
Natalia Bryant, Kobe, and Vanessa's eldest daughter, has even said that she considered Swift her role model.
"I just love how she’s always, she's very positive but she also empowers young girls and she empowers women, and I just think that’s so important in life. And she’s always been one of my biggest role models," she said in a 2021 video with IMG Models.