Kobe Bryant and Nick Saban, two legends known for dominating their sport, sat down this week to discuss what it takes to be a great athlete and what it takes for a player to reach that next level of potential. Saban has won five of the last nine college football championships, and Kobe was excited to sit down to pick his brain on what encompasses greatness. “He’s a teacher,” said Kobe. “He’s going to challenge his guys to really hit their full potential. It’s a grind, it has to be that way and that’s what I’ve always admired about Nick Saban.” Saban also complimented Kobe on his drive as an athlete, and pointed out how that’s what makes a great player truly great. “Your mentality as a player, how your work ethic, your perseverance gave you the confidence to be the kind of player that you were. Every great player that I’ve ever met, they all have that, they all have talent but they all have that,” Saban said. Mostly, the two talked about the process necessary for reaching success, and how truly loving it makes the result that much sweeter. “Loving the process, loving the daily grind of it, putting the puzzle together,” said Kobe. “It seems like this generation is really concerned with the end result of things, versus understanding and appreciating the journey to get there. The trials and tribulations that come along with it, you have successes and failures, it’s all apart of the end game.” You can watch the full sit-down talk here:<doc-sep>The second episode of Training Days: Rolling with the Tide, ESPN’s four-part television series on Alabama’s fall camp, will air tonight. And along with an inside look into the Crimson Tide’s prep for another season, the episode will feature Kobe Bryant’s visit to campus. Last Thursday, Bryant traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to speak to the team and sit down with head coach Nick Saban. The five-time NBA champion was eager to talk about the 12th-year coach’s famed process and to pick the brain of the six-time champion in college football. “The things that I’ve read about him, the interviews that I’ve watched, he’s a teacher, and he’s going to challenge his guys so they can hit their full potential,” said Bryant in an ESPN preview of Wednesday’s night’s episode of Training Days: Rolling with the Tide. “But it’s a grind and it has to be that way, and that’s what I’ve always admired about Nick Saban from afar.” Before its first 7:30 p.m. practice of camp, the players were surprised with Bryant as their speaker for the day. In the team meeting room at the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility, Saban can be seen sitting in the front row as he attentively listened to Bryant’s message and was flanked by true freshman cornerbacks in Jalyn Armour-Davis, Josh Jobe and Patrick Surtain Jr. “It was interesting hearing you speak today about your mentality as a player and how your work ethic, your perseverance gave you the confidence to be the kind of player that you were,” said Saban to Bryant in ESPN’s three-minute preview. “And my comment about that is every great player that I’ve ever met, they all have that. They all have talent, but they all have that.” Episode 2 will air at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2, and a glimpse into Bryant’s visit can be viewed below. (Get breaking 'Bama news in your inbox. Sign up for our FREE email newsletter!) Following Bryant’s speech, a couple of Alabama’s players were asked about having the 15-time NBA All-Star as one of several camp speakers. Both Josh Jacobs and Mack Wilson enjoyed it. “Honestly since I've been here, you see so many celebrities that you just be like ‘Oh, that’s the next one.’ But it’s surreal at the same time because he’s a legend,” Jacobs said of Bryant’s visit. “You’re just looking at him like, ‘Man, that’s a walking legend.’ It was crazy.” Wilson added: “I was excited to see him because that was my first time ever seeing someone that’s a legend that’s on that level. You know, makes a lot of millions of dollars and just seeing an NBA player that close up, it was definitely a good experience.” But the second episode of Training Days: Rolling with the Tide will not be all about Bryant. The series goes inside practices and closed-door meetings to show the efforts of Saban, his assistants and the players as they prepare to defend their title. ESPN cameras have been at every preseason practice and will be around the facility throughout the month of August. Training Days: Rolling with the Tide will feature: -- Saban and a variety of personalities around the program will be mic’d up during practices throughout the month. -- Inside team and coaches’ meetings, providing a glimpse of the program’s preparation beyond the practice field. -- Follow positional battles that emerge during training camp as players make their case for playing time, including at key positions. In addition to ESPN’s access to practice and meetings, the summer series will provide an all-faceted look at the elements which comprise a first-class football program. Highlights include: -- A tour of Alabama’s football facilities and the benefits they provide the players, including the new athletics dining area, which is attached to the Mal Moore Athletic Facility. -- Fans and local media provide their vantage point following and working around one of the sport’s all-time most successful programs. -- A look at the life of the Alabama football players beyond the practice field. Remaining Training Days: Rolling with the Tide schedule Episode 2 -- Wednesday, Aug. 15 at 6 p.m. CT -- ESPN2 Episode 3 -- Wednesday, Aug. 22 at 6 p.m. CT -- ESPN2 Episode 4 -- Wednesday, Aug. 29 at 9 p.m. CT -- ESPN2 Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter). *** Don't miss a VIP update with our FREE trial of BamaOnLine. Sign up HERE ***<doc-sep>
Kobe Bryant dropped by Tuscaloosa to talk to Alabama football last week. From that, Alabama shared a clip of the Laker great telling the players how to be a strong leader. This week, ESPN shared some of the one-on-one conversation Bryant had with coach Nick Saban after his motivational speech. Saban and Bryant chatted about how important it is to enjoy the process on the way to success. Here’s what the two sports legends had to say: Saban: “It was interesting hearing you speak today about your mentality as a player and how your work ethic, your perseverance gave you the confidence to be the kind of player that you were. My comment about that is every great player that I’ve ever met, they all have that. They all have talent, but they all have that.” Bryant: “The process, loving the process, loving the daily grind of it, and putting the puzzle together. This generation seems to be really concerned with the end result of things versus understanding, appreciating the journey to get there — which is the most important — and the trials and tribulations that come with it. You have successes, you have failures, but it’s all part of the end game. “What I see a lot of times from young players is they’ll try, they’ll push, and all of a sudden, they get hit with some adversity. ‘Nah, let me do something else,’ instead of staying with it. Just stay with it. A lot of guys give up on it because it’s not happening now.” Saban: “That’s exactly right. Everybody wants to be the beast, but not everybody wants to do what the beast do. You’ve heard that one before. That’s the challenge. But that’s what I love about the process of being a coach.”