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Kobe Bryant's Protégé Shines with Mamba Mentality
2 Aug
Summary
- Kobe Bryant's lasting impact on high school player Amalia Holguin
- Holguin credits Bryant for her development and mindset
- Holguin is now a top NCAA prospect after working with Bryant
In the years since his tragic passing in 2020, Kobe Bryant's legacy continues to inspire the next generation of basketball players. One such example is Amalia Holguin, a high school senior who had the opportunity to be coached by the NBA legend himself.
Holguin, now 17 years old, has become a top NCAA prospect after working with Bryant on his Mamba Academy team. She openly credits Bryant's mentorship for her development, saying "I don't think I'd be the player I am today, or have the mindset that I do, if I hadn't (been coached by Kobe Bryant)."
Bryant was deeply involved in the girls' basketball world, in part due to his own daughter Gigi's promising career. Tragically, Gigi was also killed in the 2020 helicopter accident that claimed Bryant's life. But through his work with players like Holguin, Bryant's "Mamba Mentality" lives on.
Holguin, a senior at Sage Hill School in Newport Beach, California, has continued to embody the relentless work ethic and competitive drive that Bryant was known for. "I can still hear him saying, 'Amalia, make sure you are working harder than everybody else. If you take time off, always remember that somebody else is working,'" she recalled.
With Bryant's influence guiding her, Holguin has blossomed into a top prospect, poised to carry on the Mamba legacy in the years to come.
