Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was celebrated at Dodger Stadium on Sunday with the organization giving out jerseys before the L.A. Dodgers’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Bryant’s family was in attendance and the Dodgers rewarded them by picking up a 3-1 victory behind home runs from Kiké Hernandez and Mookie Betts. That capped off a fun Lakers-filled weekend at Dodger Stadium with many Showtime legends in attendance throwing out the first pitch on Saturday night.
The impact that Bryant had on the local community and athletes around the world continues to be felt to this day. Dodgers pitch Bobby Miller, who has fought through struggles this season, talked about how Bryant has motivated him, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“Kobe means a lot to me. Growing up, I obviously loved watching him play basketball. But later on, as I got older, I really started to learn the meaning of the ‘Mamba Mentality’ and everything he’s about. I watched a lot of videos about him and a lot of speeches he’s had. It’s truly motivating. And it can apply to anybody, like in a workplace or as an athlete. He’s super motivating and I pay attention to a lot of his stuff.”
Hernandez, who got to meet Bryant on multiple occasions before his passing, now wears No. 8 with the Dodgers to honor the Lakers legend. He discussed what that means to him and also hitting a pair of homers over the weekend to celebrate Kobe:
“I hit a homer two days ago on his birthday, didn’t get in the game on Mamba Day, but today in front of the Bryant family, it was pretty special. When these days are happening and I’m wearing No. 8, I feel like not a lot of things can go wrong. I was able to enjoy the moment and put a good swing on the ball.”
Bryant was a big Dodgers fan and would often attend games, so it was cool to see his family continue to do the same and the organization celebrate him properly.
Dodgers donate to Kobe Bryant’s Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation
For Kobe Bryant jersey day, his daughter Bianka threw out the ceremonial first pitch and the Dodgers made a $100,000 donation to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.
Mookie Betts presented Vanessa with the ceremonial check and caught the first pitch from Bianka. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also spoke on how great it was for the Bryant family to be in attendance.
“To Vanessa here and the babies, it was really good. Kobe loved baseball. So for the relationship with the city, the Lakers and Dodgers, to keep that flame burning is great,” Roberts said.
“The family being here was awesome. Seeing all those 8 and 24 jerseys was fun.”
The Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating positive impact for underserved athletes, both boys and girls, in sports. It was founded through the vision and loving memory of Kobe and Gianna ”Gigi” Bryant.
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