The love that athletes have for late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant extends beyond basketball. In the NFL, for example, San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle said shortly after the five-time champion’s death in 2020 that Bryant was a huge reason he played sports and that he wore Bryant’s sneakers when he played basketball.
The Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers’ longtime NFC West rivals, find themselves as big favorites to win Super Bowl LXI after landing star defensive end Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns just days ago. The Rams already had arguably the best roster in the league, and now, they seem to have a bit of an embarrassment of riches.
Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, is another admirer of Bryant. He recently threw out the first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers game, and while at Dodger Stadium that evening, he talked about how much he has always loved the “Black Mamba,” via Nick Hamilton of Nitecast Media.
“I’ve had love for Kobe since I was a kid,” Garrett said. “I remember playing NBA Jam back in the day and playing with the Lakers because I was such a big Kobe fan. I used to wear the short fro just like Kobe, and that love has been there ever since.”
Many players in the current era of the NBA have also cited Bryant as an inspiration or even someone they have modeled their process after. The Hall of Famer’s impact eventually went beyond even the sports world, and as a result, there was a massive feeling of mourning across the nation and the world on the fateful day back in January 2020 when he, his daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash.
After nine long years with the perpetually rebuilding Browns, Garrett is now turning his attention toward helping the Rams win it all. It just so happens that Super Bowl LXI will be played at SoFi Stadium, the Rams’ home arena.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: New Rams DE Myles Garrett on his love and respect for Kobe Bryant
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
