Kobe Bryant’s impact on the sports world was undeniable even before his tragic passing in 2020. But in the five-and-a-half years since, it’s become even more apparent just how beloved the Los Angeles Lakers legend was. Not just in the world of basketball, but across all sports, cities and athletes of various backgrounds.
Take New York Mets pitcher David Peterson, for example. Peterson is from Denver, Colorado, attended the University of Oregon, was drafted by the New York Mets as a pitcher and has spent his entire career up to this point in Queens. But on Saturday, he was yet another Kobe fan.
The Mets starter took the mound on Saturday against the Miami Marlins with a Kobe-themed glove, via SNY:
David Peterson is pitching with a Kobe Bryant-themed glove today pic.twitter.com/ZwzXLD3XCR
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 30, 2025
The glove has gold stitching all throughout with a purple and gold Nike swoosh and an 8/24 in gold. All of this is a shoutout to Bryant and the Lakers, despite having never lived or played in Los Angeles or California at all in his career. It was also a home game against the Marlins, showing that this was truly out of reverence for Bryant.
Peterson — who has been having a really solid season for the Mets — unfortunately had one of his worst outings this season, giving up eight earned runs in two innings of action. The eight runs are another tribute to Bryant, in a way.
Magic Johnson reveals favorite Kobe Bryant moment
It is hard to nail down a favorite moment from Kobe Bryant’s career as he had plenty during his 20 years with the Lakers. Magic Johnson was recently asked about his personal favorite at the Dodgers All-Access event on Thursday and he contemplated a few iconic moments.
In what felt like a storybook moment, Bryant’s farewell game put the cherry on top of an accolade-filled career. While it may not be the flashiest, he put up 60 points and clearly left it all on the floor, giving fans on last show.
Johnson ultimately decided that this game was his favorite Bryant story, although there were plenty of options to choose from.
“Where do we start? Is it the 81 points? I would say my favorite was the last game,” Johnson told the crowd of Dodgers fans. “Hurt, not all the way there, remember the Achilles, and so if you were there or watching it on TV, the second half, the whole crowd did not sit down. Remember? And he kept scoring and scoring. And we kept going crazy and crazier. And it got louder. We said, ‘Man, he got to 50? Kobe scored 50?’ And he kept going! I’ve never seen a guy end his career in the fashion that Kobe ended his career that last game.”
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