Kobe Bryant built a career that turned routine nights into events. The lasting takeaway for some opponents and teammates is not a move or a moment. It is a warning about time.

Jason Terry says Bryant pushed him to treat life with the same intensity he treated preparation. Terry shared a lesson he says Bryant repeated as a reminder that the clock is not negotiable.

“The most important thing I learned from Kobe is this: He once said that, as humans, we always think we have more time — that there will be a next play, another game, another day, or another opportunity to tell your daughters or your family members that you love them,” Terry shared with Ratings.

“But nothing is guaranteed. That’s probably the biggest life lesson: live every moment to the fullest and strive to be the best.”

Bryant’s own words cut even tighter: “The biggest mistake we make in life is thinking we have time.”

A Day That Hit Close

For Terry, the message is tied to a memory that still feels too close to real time. KOLD News 13 reported Terry and Bryant were scheduled to coach against each other on Jan. 26, 2020, as their daughters played in a youth event.

Terry told the station he had seen Bryant and watched Gianna play in the days before the crash. The matchup never happened.

A plan on the calendar is not a guarantee.

A Rookie Who Stayed Late

Derek Harper remembers Bryant earlier, back when the story was still being written. Harper was with the Lakers during Bryant’s rookie season in 1996, and he says the clearest sign of what was coming had nothing to do with a game.

“Fun times, to be quite frank with you. The thing that stands out the most to me about Kobe Bryant is that, you know, you always, as players, get your ankles taped to go to work,” Harper said to Ratings.

“Well, Kobe was one of those guys. This is how I knew he would be great. He’s one of those guys who, once everybody left after practice, yeah, he would re-tape his ankles to work on his individual game. And if someone is that dedicated to anything that they do, they’re going to find success. And clearly, he goes down as one of the all-time greats.”

That is not a highlight reel story. It is a habit story.

The gym was empty. He stayed anyway.

Confidence Without Needing Permission

Harper said Bryant did not need a veteran’s approval to carry himself like a pro.

“Is there anything that you know that you were able to teach him during that process? No, Kobe didn’t need my teaching. I was open and willing to, but he just breathed confidence as a player, and not that he wouldn’t have listened,” Harper said. “Kobe had his own demeanor. He had his own game, and he’s one of the top 75 players in the history of the NBA.”

The reputation for relentless work was not a late-career invention. Teammates saw it in the smallest routines.

How People Still Remember

People noted that, five years after the crash, memorials and tributes continued worldwide and Vanessa Bryant announced plans to publish “Mamba & Mambacita Forever,” a catalogue of murals honoring Kobe and Gianna.

Sports Illustrated’s Athlete Lifestyle highlighted a tribute from Russell Wilson and Ciara, friends of the Bryant family, on that same anniversary.

What Stays With Players

Terry’s lesson and Harper’s memory come from different eras, but they point in the same direction. Time is shorter than you think. Work is louder than talk.

For players, that is the bridge between life and basketball. You prepare because the moment is coming, and you love people because you do not control how long you get.

Kobe’s legacy will always include championships and points.

But it also lives in the quiet hours after practice.