Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is on top of the football world, and while he was getting ready for the team’s Super Bowl victory parade, he also paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant who died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26. On his Instagram story, the Super Bowl MVP was seen wearing a Bryant No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers jersey and in the video, he wrote the hashtag, “Mamba Mentality.” The B/R Gridiron Twitter account shared the video and Mahomes then retweeted it with snake emoji.
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) February 5, 2020
When Mahomes first heard about the news of Bryant, he went to Twitter and said: “Man not Kobe… Prayers to his family and friends!” He also included the hashtag “RIP Mamba,” which refers to Bryant’s nickname.
Videos by PopCulture.com
With the way Mahomes’ career has started, he could be a legend like Bryant was in the NBA. Bryant spent his entire career with the Lakers and he led the team to five NBA titles in the 2000s. Along with winning championships, Bryant won the MVP award in 2008 and was named to the All-Star team 18 times. He is currently the fourth all-time leading scorer in NBA history, with 33,643 points.
Along with Bryant, his 13-year old daughter Gianna and seven other victims including the pilot died in the crash. They were all headed to Bryant’s Mamba Academy for a basketball tournament as Bryant is the coach of Gianna’s team.
“My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them,” Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, wrote in an Instagram post last week. “We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.”
On the day of the Super Bowl, multiple players honored Bryant with cleats or jerseys. Before the game, the stadium held a moment of silence to honor the victims in the crash. Bryant made an impact on the entire sports and entertainment world. And with Mahomes on his way to being the new face of the NFL, he could have a similar impact like Bryant if he continues to play at a high level.
