Kobe Bryant and the 12 Grittiest NBA Players

One of the definitions of the word grit is to show resolution and fortitude.

When parlaying that into NBA terms, we are looking for a guy who never stops battling; fight's through pain and does whatever it takes to come out a winner.

These players aren't only physically tough, but mentally tough as well.

The NBA is filled with these type of players. Let's take a look at a few of them.

Kobe Bryant

There's really no need to explain why Bryant makes this list.

If you look up the work gritty in the dictionary, it should come with a picture of Bryant next to it.

He embodies a winner and a guy that will do whatever it takes.

If anyone is gritty, it's definitely Bryant.

Chauncey Billups

Billups isn't quite the player he was a few years ago, but he's still a gritty guy that will do whatever it takes to win.

Whether it's hitting a big shot, setting up a teammate or making a play on the defensive end of the floor, Billups is still a guy you want on the floor with the game on the line.

Shane Battier

Battier doesn't care about stats; he cares about winning.

With the game on the line, you need a guy that can step in and take a charge as much as you need a guy that can knock down a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Battier simply does the dirty work.

Dirk Nowitzki

Nowitzki isn't typically considered a gritty player. But he showed that grit in last season's NBA Finals when he refused to lose and did everything on both ends of the floor to make sure the Mavericks got their hands on that trophy.

Anderson Varejao

Varejao is a hustler. If you need a play made that might go unnoticed in the box score, Varejao is going to make it.

Whether it's grabbing an offensive rebound or taking a charge, Varejao shows his grit whenever his team needs it the most.

If he were on a good team, that grit might get noticed more.

Dwyane Wade

He's simply a guy who you want on the floor in the fourth quarter.

If you have the ball in his hands, he's likely going to close the game out. If you need a steal on the defensive end, he's going to get it.

If Wade has to get to the free-throw line 20 times in the fourth quarter, that's exactly what he will do.

He's always been a guy that will do whatever it takes to win.

J.J. Barea

Barea showed his grit last season during the Finals. He's another guy that will do what it takes on both ends of the floor to get a win.

Manu Ginobili

Ginobili embodies the word grit at both ends of the floor. The Spurs have won a lot of games over the years that they likely would have lost because of his gritty play.

Hedo Turkoglu

With Turkoglu, it's all about which player you get. But this season's Turkoglu, it's that guy who will do whatever it takes to win—especially in the fourth quarter.

Some guys raise their game in the fourth quarter when the game is on the line and that's when the grittiness really comes out.

Turkoglu is no exception.

Brian Cardinal

How can you have a list of gritty players without the likes of Cardinal on it?

Any guy with nicknames such as "The Custodian" or "The Janitor," has earned it because of their grit.

He's not blessed with a ton of talent but he's a guy that will do whatever the team needs, whenever they need it.

Kurt Thomas

Thomas is the oldest player in the NBA and has made it this far in his career because he's tough and gritty.

If you need Thomas to step in and just play defense and rebound, that's exactly what he will do.

He's just a guy that knows how to win and will do what it takes.

Steve Nash

While many will no view Nash as a gritty guy, I disagree.

He's a guy that wants to win and plays like it all of the time. He's always been a guy that will do what it takes and that often has meant distributing the ball.

However in the fourth quarter, I want the ball in his hands because he will make something happen.