Las Vegas Raiders Derek Carr Honors Kobe Bryant
The date of Jan. 26, 2020, will forever be imprinted in the minds of people everywhere.
On that day, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi and eight others died in a tragic helicopter crash. For fans, journalists, and players worldwide, we lost one of the most iconic figures in sports of the past generation. Many players, regardless of whether they played basketball or not, looked up to Kobe and the “Mamba Mentality” he represented.
One of those players is Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who said he will wear a sleeve on his left arm in tribute to Bryant this season in a recent interview.
“This is a personal thing; I don’t care what anybody else thinks about it – this is for me,” Carr said. “What would be a cool way to honor Kobe Bryant? He always wore an arm sleeve on his (right) arm. I can’t wear one on my right (passing) arm, so I was like, ‘You know what, I’ll wear one on my left arm.’ It’s really just to honor Kobe.”
Carr said he wouldn’t be the only one to pay tribute to Bryant. Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay also will be paying tribute, and Carr said he suspects more players will likely do the same.
“He meant so much to me, and then when I got to know him, I got to talk to him, and then he followed me on Twitter, that blew my mind," Carr said. "That was the day of my life, so to speak.
“Just getting to know him and talk to him, have a conversation with him, just what he meant to me as an athlete, the ‘Mamba Mentality’ is trying to be the best version of yourself every day. I have a big poster in my weight room now with that ‘Mamba Mentality’ mantra on it, and it’s just a way that I can honor him.
“So, I’ll wear (the sleeve) all year … to honor him and just what he meant to me as a kid growing up. That’s the extent of it. I don’t care about looking good unless it’s for how my wife wants me to look at dinner. It’s to honor Kobe and just what he meant to me.”
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