Kobe Bryant has left an indelible mark on Caleb Williams, which has been quite evident from his conversations about the late basketball icon. As a result, when Maria Taylor of NBC Sports compared the rookie quarterback’s mentality to that of Kobe during a conversation on NFL on NBC, Caleb explored just how deeply he has tried to follow the basketball legend’s path to becoming a standout athlete.
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“I watch the Kobe Mamba documentary once every year,” Caleb said. This tradition started during his freshman year (2021) with the Oklahoma Sooners when the QB decided to give the documentary a watch.
While he didn’t specify which documentary he was referring to, Caleb added that he loved it so much he took several notes with timestamps to revisit it.
But he didn’t limit himself to just watching the documentary; he has also studied how the shooting guard played, his fierce competitiveness on the court, and his relentless desire to win. He further added:
“I feel as if I connect with those things. That’s a person that I admire and look to for some of the mentality and some of the grip, the adversity, how he dealt with it.”
The Bears player also recalled his hamstring injury in 2022, which arguably led to the USC Trojans’ loss to the Utah Utes in the Pac-12 championship, and added that he used one of Kobe’s quotes about the game being bigger than anything else to motivate himself.
Clearly, the rookie quarterback greatly admires the five-time NBA champion. This, however, is the second time in a week he has praised Kobe in a conversation.
Caleb says he connects more with Kobe Bryant than Michael Jordan
In an exclusive sit-down interview with the Chicago Tribune, when asked about how he has looked up to other athletes for learning and growth, Caleb named several NFL QBs, including Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Matthew Stafford, who have indirectly taught him a great deal.
However, outside the world of football, Caleb picked Michael Jordan and Kobe.
While the rookie quarterback did acknowledge the impact of the former Chicago Bulls great, he further noted, “But Kobe (Bryant) was more my guy. Just for mental (sharpness). Just that everyday-assassin kind of thing.”
Caleb then added that he connected more with Kobe, as Jordan was older and his prime was in the ’90s, before he was even born. So, he knew Jordan more from stories than games, while he spent significantly more time watching and learning from the Lakers legend.
