Kobe Bryant’s death hits hard for Super Bowl participants; live the Mamba mentality
It was Super Bowl Opening Night at Florida Marlins Park, the No. 1 media event advancing Super LIV Sunday between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
But on Monday night before the teams and their stars took center stage, one indelible image appeared before all.
A photo of Kobe Bryant was flashed up on the big screen as the stadium announcer asked for a moment of silence. The pause was soon interrupted by chants of “Kobe, Kobe, Kobe!!!”
Bryant, the NBA superstar who won five titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, died tragically in a helicopter crash Sunday in Calabasas, Calif., along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others.
Both teams were en route from their respective locales to Miami for the Super Bowl when the news broke of Bryant’s untimely death.
One day after experiencing the shock and utter disbelief, like fans and athletes alike across the world, the players shared their own reactions to Bryant’s death and the lessons they learned among the questions about the upcoming Super Bowl.
“It’s unfortunate,” said 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman, who grew up a Lakers fan in Compton, Calif., before becoming friends with his fallen idol. “It’s really sad. He was a friend of mine. He was a mentor. He meant a lot to this world. He had a positive impact and there’s nothing that I can say that can quantify his impact on myself and others. I just know how he would’ve wanted me to take this, to react, especially in this moment and in this game.
“I was really sad yesterday and I was sad this morning. I was kind of down and I was in the dumps and I just thought about what he would tell me. He would tell me to stop being a baby and man up and play it and do it in his honor and win this game for him. And that’s what we’re going to try to do. We’re going to try to go out there and play some dominating ball, just like he wanted. The Mamba mentality lives on.”
Defensive end DeForest Buckner said the 49ers were on the plane when they found out and everybody got real quiet at the same time.
“It didn’t seem real to have a legend like that pass away at an early age,” Buckner said. It’s said. It’s a sad moment all around. It brings you back in. Don’t take anything for granted and cherish every moment.”
The Chiefs got the news upon their arrival when their phones started going off with texts from friends and family.
Offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy grew up in Los Angeles as a fan of the Showtime Lakers under Magic Johnson before transitioning to the Lake Show titles of Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
“It’s a somber moment,” Bienemy said. “But what it does is it gives you a perspective on life and making sure that everybody in there is counting their blessings. We never know when our number will be called.”
Said Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins: “He meant the world to all the kids watching basketball or any sport. He preached about the Mamba mentality. He wrote a book about it. He means so much to this world and this universe. To see him go out like that was definitely hurtful.”
Chiefs linebacker Damien Wilson said the players grew up watching Bryant every night and he transcended sports. He said the players need to learn from his death as much as they learned from him in life.
“It’s crazy he is not here, he is not with us anymore,” Wilson said. “You have to value your time. Life is short. Don’t hold grudges against people. So much to learn. He was an international giant. He touched through basketball. He touched a lot of people.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
