Kyrie Irving says Kobe Bryant told him to read ‘The Alchemist’ in order to stop being obsessed with proving people wrong “He knew how curious I was, not just about being great at the game, but about life. That’s why he gave me the book ‘The Alchemist’ and told me to read that… Kobe’s smart… He studied all the greats in every other industry so he could figure out how to be great too…” “It was about really taking the time to get to know who the people are around you. Get to know them as much as you invest in watching the game. I’m an avid student of all the greats in basketball.” “He really put all those other authors in my life so I could help balance what I was into. Since I was 12 or 13 years old, I’ve studied basketball more than 10,000 hours, as they say before you become an expert or master your craft.” “I’ve played more than 10,000 hours. I’ve done all that. When I got to Boston, I was ready for a new challenge, but I didn’t know how it was going to come from within. That’s why he gave me The Alchemist.” “The journey is the reward. Embrace the journey. Don’t think about the end goal so much where you’re fixated on trying to prove people wrong or be at the mountaintop without going through the details that it takes to really appreciate it. That was him.” “His mentorship was like, ‘Yo, stay curious, bro. I know you’re different. You’re not like everybody else out here.’”