Kobe Bryant was succinct as he left the court following his team's victory in Game 1 of the NBA finals on Friday.
Addressing the global television audience, Bryant explained why he was so focused: "Nothing else matters at this point. Media attention, the hype around the series, it doesn't matter at all."
Not particularly gregarious at the best of times, the Los Angeles Lakers star has been even more withdrawn this year.
Before the finals started, reporters asked Bryant if he was looking forward to the rematch with the Boston Celtics, the team that had defeated the Lakers in the 2008 finals. Bryant could not have appeared more sincere in displaying his disinterest.
Of course, there is an obvious absurdity in a competitor such as Bryant downplaying the fact that he does not relish the opportunity to revenge his club's loss to the Celtics, when these same Celtics beat the Lakers in 2008 as though they were a bunch of rented mules.
Bryant's take: "I don't give a damn about it."
As he chases his fifth NBA title, and attempts to edge closer to Michael Jordan's six championships, he does so with an eerie cool. He has also become his team's taskmaster, keeping his teammates focused on the job at hand.
Pau Gasol, Bryant's Spanish teammate, was asked if he would be watching Rafael Nadal, his fellow Spaniard, in the French Open men's tennis final today. Gasol began to suggest that he would be getting up early to watch Nadal before Bryant interrupted and said that Gasol would be resting.
The Spaniard quickly changed his tune, saying: "I definitely need my rest for sure, and then I'll just see the stats."
If the Lakers win the championship, a great deal will be attributed to Bryant's prodigious talent. As the past few weeks have demonstrated, perhaps a great deal more significance should be given to Bryant's indefatigable will to win.
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Dr Graham's three goals
Short term
Establish logistics and systems needed to globally deploy vaccines
Intermediate term
Build biomedical workforces in low- and middle-income nations
Long term
A prototype pathogen approach for pandemic preparedness
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Company%20Profile
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The Abu Dhabi Awards explained:
What are the awards? They honour anyone who has made a contribution to life in Abu Dhabi.
Are they open to only Emiratis? The awards are open to anyone, regardless of age or nationality, living anywhere in the world.
When do nominations close? The process concludes on December 31.
How do I nominate someone? Through the website.
When is the ceremony? The awards event will take place early next year.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
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