SEATTLE — Quarterback Russell Wilson had Kobe Bryant on his mind after the Seattle Seahawks clinched the NFC West title on Sunday.
Wilson, 32, who led Seattle to a 20-9 victory against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field, posted a video on Instagram on Tuesday to offer his thoughts about Bryant and his daughter, Gianna Bryant, who were killed along with seven other people in a January helicopter crash.
Wilson wore a black No. 8 jersey in memory of the late Los Angeles Lakers star as he walked around the deserted stadium, Entertainment Tonight reported.
“I thank you for the Mamba mentality,” Wilson says in the video. “I thank you for just how you encouraged me, and how you encouraged others.
Wilson said he idolized Kobe Bryant while he was growing up, and also praised Gianna Bryant, who was nicknamed “Gigi,” Entertainment Tonight reported.
“Kobz, you were an inspiration to me growing up,” Wilson says in the video. “You were an inspiration to me once I got in the NFL, and was a pro, because I always watched how you did everything with grace, always worked hard at everything.
“You know Gigi, you were an inspiration to so many girls. Kobe, you were a girl dad.”
Wilson said that what he learned in 2020 was that life was bigger than football, and he thanked Bryant for giving his team the “Mamba mentality” for their game against the Rams.
“As much as I love this stadium ... It comes down to our family, it comes down to our loved ones, it comes down to grace, it comes down to, you know, how we treat each and how we love one another,” Wilson says in the video. “And the one thing that I’ve found out and really understood in 2020 is just that, nothing’s promised. Nothing’s promised. The good thing is, there is hope. Hope lies in God, it lies in our faith, it lies in a new day.”
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