Kobe Bryant hopes Ronda Rousey will rebound after losing her women’s bantamweight title.
When Holly Holm landed that thunderous head kick at UFC 193, a lot of people were only too happy to see Rousey being dethroned. However, 18-time NBA All-Star Bryant was not one of those who kicked the former champion while she was down.
In fact, he revealed to USA TODAY Sports that he did exactly the opposite and personally sent Rousey messages of support following the devastating defeat.
“I sent her several messages, so yes, we have touched base. That’s what it’s about. It’s not about how you win. A true champion is about how you lose and come back from that.”
“I told her, ‘It’s a beautiful thing.’ That’s what I told her. I said, ‘To be a true champion sometimes you have to get knocked down.’ It happens to the best of us. It happened with my Achilles (when I tore it), (Muhammad) Ali got put down several times – it happens to the best of us.”
Bryant then went into a Rocky Balboa-esque inspirational monologue about what makes a true champion.The basketball superstar explained that the defeat will actually improve her legacy as it makes her more relatable.
“I think the true mark of a champion is how you get up from that. If she goes through her entire career undefeated, she becomes this mythical figure that nobody can relate to. She got beat. We all get beat at some point or another in our lives. Now it’s a matter of how she bounces back from that. I think that’s what makes her a true champion.”
That’s how winning is done!
