Black Mamba was created as an alter-ego
In the 2015 auto-documentary Muse, Bryant said, “I went from a person who was at the top of his game, had everything coming, to a year later, having absolutely no idea where life is going or if you are even going to be a part of life as we all know it.”
For his own mental well-being during the troubling times of 2003/4, which included being charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old lady, Bryant came up with the nickname, Black Mamba to split his professional and personal lives.
Black Mamba was a mentality of fierce competitiveness while Bryant was on the court. He could put all of his troubles aside and get on with the game with the sole intention of winning.
But when the game is done, he was Kobe Bryant, a man who had to fight to keep his family together.
