Kobe Bryant is one of the most influential players in the history of basketball. It would be difficult to find a current NBA star that wasn’t on some level inspired by the way the Los Angeles Lakers legend approached his life or his playing career.
But what really shows Bryant’s influence is the way that it extends beyond basketball into other realms.
The latest example of this is DeAndre Hopkins. The NFL wide receiver was once considered the best at his position in the game, and while he is no longer in that conversation, he is still a force to be reckoned with. He was traded earlier this week to the Kansas City Chiefs, a terrifying prospect considering the team won the last two Super Bowls without any elite receiving talent.
Hopkins gets a chance for a fresh start after spending some time on the less-than-competitive Tennessee Titans. And with that fresh start comes a new jersey number. Hopkins had no doubt who he wanted to honor with the new number, via the NFL:
“Kobe Bryant. One of my favorite athletes of all time. So I know if I ever got the chance to wear No. 8, just like when I picked No. 10. Messi was my favorite soccer player, an underdog. He felt like me at the time coming out of college. And Kobe, No. 8 is a special number.”
Hopkins is in his 12th NFL season and has five Pro Bowl selections, three All-Pro First Team selections and seven 1,000-yard campaigns. With over 12,000 career receiving yards and 79 touchdowns, he is one of the best receivers of his generation and is likely an inspiration to many younger receivers in his own right.
But when it comes down to it, he too looks to Bryant as a form of motivation to keep pushing forward. And Hopkins will have that reminder on his jersey every time he suits up for the Chiefs as he tries to help land them a third consecutive Super Bowl championship.
Dodgers channeling Kobe Bryant
The Dodgers were one game away from elimination in the MLB postseason twice in the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres. At that moment, they channeled the energy of Bryant to help them through. They won back-to-back elimination games to secure their place in the NLCS and are now in the World Series, four wins away from their second championship of the decade.
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