It’s been five years since Kobe Bryant’s tragic demise in a helicopter crash. But his legacy is alive and thriving in the sporting world, inspiring many athletes to greatness. Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce is a firm believer in the Lakers legend’s ‘Mamba mentality’.
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Incidentally, two months before the Eagles’ iconic 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in the 2018 Super Bowl, Kobe, a die-hard Philadelphia fan, spent time with the players at their team hotel. “Just a great pleasure to have him and address the team,” head coach Doug Pederson said at the time.
Reflecting on the impression Kobe left on him and his teammates, Kelce said he was “one of the best people we have ever talked to”. The Super Bowl winner also detailed how Kobe’s motivational words to the Eagles in November of 2017 helped the team make history.
“Kobe even came and talked to us. We were a full-on NFL team in 2017. He was from Philly. The year we won the Super Bowl, he came and talked to the team. And even then, he was still motivating,” said Kelce.
So how exactly did Kobe’s words fuel the Eagles, pumping the players up to such a degree that they went all the way to lifting the championship that season?
“There were guys who took more away from that conversation than they had taken from anybody in the football world — how he prepared, how he got ready, his process in getting better. It was phenomenal. I’ll never forget that. It was great,” Kelce recalled on the New Heights podcast.
Defeating a powerhouse like the Patriots, who had won six Super Bowls under Tom Brady at the time, was no easy task for the Eagles. But with motivation from Kobe and through sheer grit on the gridiron, the Eagles won their first NFL title since 1960.
Kobe’s influence on people around him has been much spoken about, celebrated even. His impact even inspired his opponents during his playing days. Jayson Tatum, who has a profile picture with Kobe, reflected on how the legend shaped his basketball journey.
Did Tatum want to play with Bryant for the Lakers?
Tatum had once shared that “Kobe was everything” to him and that he felt a “deep connection” to the Lakers legend. Travis Kelce, aware that Tatum had watched a lot of Kobe’s games growing up, posed a tricky question to their podcast guest.
“Did you envision yourself playing in a Lakers uniform?” Travis asked.
Tatum, who in 2024 broke Kobe’s record (2,694 points) for the most by an NBA player aged 26 or younger, had a thoughtful response.
“They had the second pick. So there was a part of me that was just like, man, my dream of playing in the NBA was about to come true, and my real dream of playing for the team I was a fan of growing up was so close,” said Tatum.
But while that dream didn’t materialize, he found joy in the next best thing — playing against Bryant and the Lakers. Tatum admitted that the experience provided a “bridge” between him and Kobe.
“But it made me appreciate things more. I remember the first time we played the Lakers — I was in disbelief. I had watched so many of Kobe’s games in that building, and in that moment, it felt like a bridge between me and my favorite player,” Tatum shared.
Conversations like these highlight the impact Kobe continues to have on athletes across sports. These remembrances serve as a tribute to a legend who is still deeply missed in the sporting world.
