Kobe Bryant was raised in a 2-parent household.
But many of his peers in the NBA were not.
And Kobe believed that his 2-parent upbringing gave him a distinct advantage over those raised by single-mothers.
For a few weeks in the late 1990s, Kobe lived with a music executive named Steve Stoute, who is featured in the following clip.
Here Stoute elaborates on Kobe’s belief that the most elite NBA players come from 2-parent households.
What do you guys think of Kobe’s take? How important is it for elite athletes to have a 2-parent upbringing?
FWIW, I am immediately reminded of Kyrie Irving who was raised by a (functional) single father. He is also known for being cool under pressure (and was respected by Kobe)
I also think of how Lebron James passed the ball to Kyrie to shoot the championship-winning shot in 2017. Lebron, raised by a single (more dysfunctional) parent who had one of the biggest meltdowns under pressure in 2012 vs. the Mavericks.