Derek Carr is entering a pivotal season of his career with the Las Vegas Raiders and he'll be sporting some new attire in 2020. According to The Athletic's Vic Tafur, Carr will honor Kobe Bryant by wearing an arm sleeve this season.
Derek Carr will wear an arm sleeve to honor Kobe Bryant. “Watched every game he played. He meant so much to me. When he followed me on Twitter, it was one of the best days of my life. Then I got to know him …
“It’s all about that Mamba Mentality.”— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) August 4, 2020
Of course, back in January on a normal Sunday, news broke of Bryant tragically passing away in a helicopter crash with his daughter, Gigi Bryant. Regardless of whether you are a sports fan or not, the death of Bryant and his daughter hit home with people around the world.
But for Derek Carr, the Los Angeles Lakers legend was a role model for the Raiders quarterback. Carr, who was born in Bakersfield, California, grew up a Lakers fan and would watch Bryant while he got older. Even as Carr reached his goal of playing in the NFL, he was in awe when Bryant followed him on Twitter.
Last season, Carr finished with 4,054 yards, 21 touchdowns, and eight interceptions for the Raiders. Despite setting a career-high in completion percentage in 2019, the former second-round pick has been criticized for his play in recent seasons.
Since his impressive season in 2016, Derek Carr has been unable to make many improvements in his game. At the same time, he's fallen short of leading the Raiders back to the postseason since 2016.
While Bryant won five NBA titles with the Lakers, he was known as the ultimate competitor on and off of the court. Ahead of his seventh season with the Raiders, Carr is looking to draw his own ‘Mamba Mentality' by wearing an arm sleeve similar to how Kobe did during his playing career.
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