Los Angeles is the city of stars, and the latest edition is the Rams making a blockbuster trade to acquire defensive end Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns. Now, Garrett enters a win-now situation with a chance to win a Super Bowl, which is the point the Los Angeles Lakers are trying to reach with Luka Doncic, their own new superstar.
As the former No. 1 overall pick in 2017 settles into his new home, the L.A. Dodgers hosted him to throw out the first pitch on Saturday. Notably, Garrett wore a Kobe Bryant shirt to the stadium, which had the Black Mamba rocking a Dodgers hat and he talked about how his admiration for the Lakers legend began.
“Shoot, I’ve had love for Kobe since I was a kid,” Garrett said on SportsNet LA. “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 Kob’ and that love has been there ever since.
Myles Garrett wore a Kobe shirt to throw out the first pitch tonight.
cc: @LakersNation @RamsNewswire pic.twitter.com/ACb8EOP6VC— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) June 7, 2026
“I have a lot of respect for how he went about his business. Obviously the Mamba Mentality, but just the way he treated every single game, every single second he was out there. He never took it for granted, and I’ve kind of treated my career and my life the same way.”
Applying that mentality to his football career obviously has paid huge dividends for Garrett, as he broke the single second sack record last season for Cleveland and has won two Defensive Player of the Year award. However, the next thing left for him is to compete for rings and he now gets that chance with the Rams, who are the Super Bowl favorites.
A lot of expectations are already being placed on the Rams to win it all this year, and Bryant dealt with that same outside noise when he emerged as a star for the Lakers. But, Los Angeles is a city based on championships and Garrett knows what is expected from him and his new teammates.
It is great to see the newest Rams player pay homage to a legend in Bryant and quickly embracing the city of Los Angeles. What’s next is cementing himself a champion and Bryant’s career serves as a great tool for him to learn from.
LeBron James welcomes Rams star Myles Garrett to L.A.
There is never a star shortage when it comes to professional sports in Los Angeles, so it is great to see all of them support one another throughout various professional sports. One of the biggest ones being LeBron James as he welcomed Myles Garrett to L.A. despite his basketball future being uncertain ahead of free agency.
Garrett and James have a close relationship dating back to when they both played in Cleveland.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
