Metta World Peace, the NBA champion formerly known as Ron Artest, recently shared a powerful lesson he learned from the late Kobe Bryant that transformed his perspective on success. In a candid interview with Fortune's Orianna Rosa Royle at Web Summit Qatar, the basketball legend revealed how witnessing Bryant's relentless work ethic reshaped his approach to both athletics and entrepreneurship.
The story begins with whispers. World Peace kept hearing rumors about Bryant's legendary dedication—persistent talk that the Los Angeles Lakers superstar was already grinding in the gym while most of the world remained asleep. Skeptical but intrigued, World Peace decided to investigate these claims for himself. One morning, he arrived at the training facility at what he considered an impressive and ambitious hour: 8 a.m. "I got to the gym and I said, Let me see if Kobe is really in the gym," World Peace recounted during the interview. His expectation was to find Bryant in the midst of an intense workout, perhaps just finishing up a morning session. Instead, he encountered something that left him stunned and rethinking his own definition of hard work.
Bryant wasn't mid-set, cooling down, or even wrapping up his routine. He was completely finished—freshly showered, fully dressed, and ready to exit the facility. "He was all showered up. He was done," World Peace recalled, still sounding incredulous years later. The realization hit hard: while most athletes considered 8 a.m. an early and admirable start, Bryant had already completed an entire workout and was heading home. This moment served as a wake-up call about the relative nature of effort and commitment.
Determined to witness the true extent of Bryant's commitment, World Peace adjusted his approach. The following day, he set his alarm for an ungodly hour and arrived at the gym at 5:30 a.m. This time, he finally caught a glimpse of the work ethic that would help Bryant secure five NBA championships, 18 All-Star selections, and the 2008 MVP award. The lesson was immediate and profound: excellence demands an extraordinary commitment that goes beyond conventional effort and normal schedules.
This experience taught World Peace a fundamental truth about achievement that extends far beyond basketball: high performance is entirely relative. No matter how early you wake or how many hours you invest, someone somewhere is willing to do even more. As World Peace put it succinctly, "There's always somebody out there working harder." This wasn't merely about physical training or athletic prowess; it was a philosophy applicable to every domain of life, from business to personal development. The revelation wasn't intended to discourage but to recalibrate one's understanding of what true dedication looks like.
For World Peace, Bryant's lesson extended beyond mere effort to encompass the critical elements of patience and daily consistency. Reflecting on his own journey to basketball stardom, he noted, "I started playing basketball at 8 years old. I went pro at 19. Then it took me another 17 years to become a legend." This timeline—nearly two decades of sustained effort after turning professional—became his mental model for success in any field. The path to greatness isn't paved with sporadic bursts of intensity or occasional heroic efforts, but with relentless, day-after-day commitment that compounds over time.
When World Peace transitioned from professional basketball to entrepreneurship, he carried this mindset with him as his most valuable asset. After retiring at 35, he understood that building a business empire would require the same long-term dedication and patience that defined his athletic career. He recently partnered with former Boost Mobile CEO Stephen Stokols to launch Tru Skye Ventures, a $100 million sport-tech venture fund focused on innovative technologies in the sports industry. Applying Bryant's lesson to this new venture, World Peace set realistic and patient expectations: "I told myself, well, it took me 10 years to actually become a pro. I retired at 35 years old, so I said it'd take me 10 years to get this off the ground, and then also, then if I want to be a legendary, it's going to take another 17 years." This framework—10 years to establish, 17 years to excel—demonstrates his commitment to long-term thinking over quick wins and overnight success.
During challenging periods or when momentum stalls, as inevitably happens in any ambitious venture, World Peace keeps this patience mantra in his "back pocket." More than a decade into his retirement from basketball, this approach is beginning to yield tangible results. "Now, here we are, competing against the Michael Jordans of business space," he said with evident pride and satisfaction. The comparison is deliberate and meaningful: just as Michael Jordan set the standard for excellence in basketball, certain iconic entrepreneurs set the benchmark in business. World Peace aims to meet and exceed that standard through sustained effort, not shortcuts.
Perhaps most controversially, World Peace's experience with Bryant has shaped his views on work-life balance—or rather, the lack thereof. He rejects the notion of clean separations between professional and personal life, arguing that high performance cannot be neatly confined to office hours or traditional schedules. This philosophy is so integral to his identity that he brings his children to work, including to a recent CNN interview, demonstrating his belief in transparency and integration. His partner Stokols shares this perspective completely, creating a unified vision for their venture. "I don't give a s–t about work-life balance," World Peace stated bluntly, echoing a sentiment common among elite performers who view their craft as an integrated part of life rather than a separate compartment to be opened and closed.
This integrated approach reflects a deeper truth: for those pursuing extraordinary achievement, the distinction between "work" and "life" becomes artificial and counterproductive. The passion and dedication that drive them don't switch off at 5 p.m. or remain dormant on weekends. World Peace's willingness to involve his family in his professional world demonstrates his belief that authentic success encompasses all aspects of life, not just career milestones or financial achievements. It's about building a life where personal and professional values align seamlessly.
The lesson Metta World Peace learned from Kobe Bryant transcends basketball and sports entirely. It's a universal principle about the nature of excellence: someone will always be willing to outwork you, so you must define your own standards of commitment and maintain them with patience and consistency. Whether on the court or in the boardroom, true greatness is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires showing up when others won't, maintaining effort when others fade, and thinking in decades rather than months.
As World Peace continues building his venture fund with the same defensive tenacity and offensive dedication he once applied to basketball, he proves that the mindset of a champion translates across domains. The 5:30 a.m. workouts may be behind him, but the discipline they instilled continues to drive his pursuit of business excellence. His story serves as a powerful reminder that the foundation of success is built in the quiet hours when no one is watching, and that legacy is created through thousands of small, consistent actions rather than a few dramatic moments.
In a world obsessed with hacks, shortcuts, and quick results, World Peace's philosophy stands as a testament to the enduring power of old-fashioned hard work and patience. The next time you think you're working hard enough, remember his warning: there's always someone out there working harder. The question isn't whether you can outwork everyone else—it's whether you're willing to outwork who you were yesterday, day after day, year after year.