“Kobe Bryant and Peyton Manning’s final games had 1 thing in common- NO PASSING”: John Cena once savagely destroyed the Lakers legend

John Cena has been one of the biggest entertainers out there when we talk about WWE stars turned Hollywood celebrities. Kobe Bryant and Payton Manning are also a few of the biggest names in basketball and the NFL respectively.

Stars from across sports combine every on the ESPY awards, generally after most major sports have completed their seasons. In one such gathering, the wittiest of wrestlers, Cena grilled both Bryant and Manning with a single joke.
You would not want to miss it, especially not when you are a basketball or NFL fan.

Also read: “Kobe Bryant is Always Talking About Stephen Curry”: Jordan Clarkson Revealed How The Black Mamba Instructed Him to Study GSW MVP’s Off-ball Movements

When John Cena trolled Kobe Bryant and Payton Manning for their retirement games

The Black Mamba played in the NBA for 20 seasons starting in 1996, whereas The Sheriff played in the NFL for 18 years starting in 1998, and both of them decided to call it off in 2016.

And in that year’s ESPY both of them were sitting in the front row when Cena was delivering his monologue and came onto the recently retired superstar duo and said,

“Peyton Manning and Kobe Bryant, they retired this year. Let’s give it up for two of the all-time greats. Now, Kobe Bryant and Peyton Manning’s final games had a few things in common: Unforgettable and almost no passing.”

Watch it here,

Bryant and Manning’s last games

Kobe had one of the greatest last games in sports history. The man who was already a legend of the game with his 5 championships, 18 All-Star, and several other accolades, scored 60 points in his final appearance as a Laker.

Although he scored 15 of the Lakers’ last 17 points and also hit the game-winning shot against the Jazz in a 101-96 victory, his 4 assists in the game were what Cena was joking about. And, Bryant was notoriously famous for not passing the ball.

Meanwhile, Payton had the biggest stage to play out his last one – The Superbowl. But as he was then, just a shadow of the 5x MVP and 14x Pro Bowl that he earlier was. The Quarterback threw 0 touchdowns in the final game of his career, and that’s what Cena caught him at.

Also read: Tracy McGrady, Who was Grateful to Kobe Bryant for Leaving him $100M, Once Admitted About Not Being a ‘Practice Player’

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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