Thursday is the three-year anniversary of the tragic passing of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash in Southern California that also took the lives of many others. And by no surprise, Kobe stories are coming out of the woodwork as we remember one of the greatest to ever do it.
As we all know, Bryant had an impact on so many athletes in the world. But there are two NFL players in particular that he really served as an idol to: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. As reflected in a piece by The Ringer, both stars looked to Kobe's toughness to get through brutal injury rehabs in the last few years.
First, Dak. Back in 2020, the Cowboys signal-caller suffered a devastating foot injury against the Giants and Logan Ryan quickly felt Prescott's pain. After all, he had the same injury not long before. Later that evening, Ryan mailed a pair of books to Dak that made a serious difference in his rehab:
“That night, Ryan mailed Prescott two books. The first was Kobe Bryant’s memoir, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play. The second was Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable, by Tim Grover, who served as the personal trainer to both Bryant and Michael Jordan. Prescott devoured them in the first two months of his rehab. The books gave Prescott answers, but those answers were still months away as Prescott sat on that cart crying in pain in Arlington. Ryan immediately knew what he needed to do. He walked up to Prescott and offered the only encouragement he thought would help:
“What would Kobe do?”
When Kobe tore his Achilles in 2013 yet proceeded to drain two free throws before heading down to the tunnel, it showed the entire sports world was toughness truly is. And Barkley was always an admirer of how Bryant went about his business, which helped him come back stronger after an ACL tear in 2020.
“Barkley’s ACL surgery was performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the same surgeon who repaired Bryant’s Achilles tendon. Barkley doesn’t remember the moments after his surgery, but this is how he said it was described to him: Barkley, still loopy from the pain medication, began doing leg raises, straightening his leg from a seated position. (Leg raises are not something people should be able to accomplish minutes after an ACL surgery.) The doctors and nurses were not amused by Barkley’s antics. They asked him to get in a wheelchair.
“Are you kidding me?” the still-drugged Barkley snapped back. “Excuse my French, but you f*cking think Kobe Bryant got in his wheelchair?!”
“Actually,” the staff responded, “Kobe did get in his wheelchair.”
“All right,” Barkley said. “Let me sit my ass down and get in this wheelchair.”
You can talk to athletes in the MLB, NFL, NBA, or even across the pond in the top five soccer leagues in Europe. Countless players have watched Kobe Bryant not only define hard work but come to the gym every single day and give 110%.
Kobe's legacy will never be forgotten. Not just because he was a basketball great, but because his Mamba Mentality mantra is alive and well all over the globe.
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