Kobe Bryant is one of the most successful NBA basketball players of all time, playing, his entire 20 year Basketball career for the Los Angeles Lakers. Career highlights for Bryant include but are not subject to 5x NBA Champion,18x NBA All-star, 4x NBA All-star game MVP, and 2x Olympic Gold Medallist. Coaches, teammates, psychologists and even Bryant himself thank his pre-game routine for the successes he has had throughout his career. Bryant was known for arriving at the game venue 3-4 hours before any other player or official to ensure his pre-game preparation was interruption free in order to be at his best always. He uses this time to enjoy the sport he plays and take in the environment whilst also 'zeroing' …show more content…
However, some psychologists believed that the above theories ignored the personality qualities that make us as humans unique, much like; self-determination and self-realisation (Herbel, 2012). The Humanistic approach is optimistic in nature, focussing on conscious and rational thinking that controls the biological urges in order for one to reach their full potential. Meaning people have the ability to control their own lives and actions along with having the ability to change their own attitudes and behaviour. Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers are responsible for these ideas (Deci & Ryan, 1985) . The humanistic approach whilst based off the idea that people are innately good, the original people studied in relation to this theory were people who were considered healthy, creative, and productive (Gruber, 2009 ). Based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs in which a person moves from one level of needs to the other once the more basic level of need is satisfied (Deci & Ryan, 1985). Humanistic theory of personality relates to sports stars like Bryant and their pre-game routines as the main idea of both, is the human need to be the best one can be at all times, reaching or aiming to reach their fullest …show more content…
Therefore all areas of his game have been assessed from, technique, to eating and sleeping habits, to his thoughts and life experiences, however in all of this research of one of the best sportsmen the world has ever see, very little research has been done to explain his pre-game routine . Most are just in awe of the routines repetitive and meticulous nature, and how it must just work for him. When in reality , many psychological theories can be linked to the mental processes of a routine like his (Gruber,2008a). Bryant's routine is entirely based on his self-determination and ability to be optimistic whilst focussing on controlling his biological urges, to result in him reaching his full potential (Smith, 2008). He controlled the aspects of his life and his career that he could control. The ability to do this optimises Maslow's Humanistic Theory of