Jayden Daniels, after honoring Kobe Bryant with custom cleats in Commanders’ playoff win, calls him his “favorite athlete of all time”
Jayden Daniels, who wore custom Kobe Bryant cleats in his historic playoff feat, revealed the impact of the late NBA legend on his game.
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Jayden Daniels and Kobe Bryant (Via NBC News/The Society Pages)
Besides his electrifying performance in front of the most robust fans of Detroit as Dan Campbell defined his home crowd, the NFL rookie sensation also captured many eyes for his special cleats that NBA fans would have a lot to say about. As a special tribute to his favorite, Jayden Daniels wore custom Kobe Bryant cleats when he outperformed the NFC No. 1 seed, Detroit Lions.
Contrary to popular belief, gridiron wasn’t his only interest as he grew up following the NBA legend, the late Bryant. Although he pursued the path laid by legend Donovan McNabb into the NFL, his inspiration for approaching the games comes from the former Lakers legend.
Though his love for the late NBA Hall of Famer has been seen on the field, he opened up about how he came to be a fan in his recent press conference ahead of the most crucial game of his sensational rookie season– one that would create unprecedented history if he advanced to the Super Bowl.
“I mean, I just like the cleats, the cleats are fire,” said Daniels, when asked about his special cleats.
Kobe, my favorite athlete of all time. Especially growing up in Southern California, watching the Lakers, watching Kobe. So that’s kind of where the inspiration comes from.
Jayden Daniels added
“My favorite athlete of all time… especially growing up in Southern California watching the Lakers”
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) January 24, 2025
– Jayden Daniels is a HUGE Kobe fan 🐍
pic.twitter.com/JbpaI4wybJ
As he went on to describe the inspiration he drew from Bryant, it felt like the final piece of a puzzle falling into place, that NFL fans have been trying to solve after seeing the Washington Commanders rookie make history with each of his playoff wins and now on the brink of becoming the first rookie quarterback in the history to lead his team to the Super Bowl.
Jayden Daniels shares how Kobe Bryant influenced his game
This isn’t the first time the Commanders star rookie has paid tribute to the late NBA superstar. He made a notable arrival in New Orleans, donning a tribute “Bean” t-shirt with a featured Los Angeles Dodgers hat, reflecting on the impact of Bryant’s legacy on him. And like the late Bryant, Daniels dominated his opponent on their home turf in Week 15 by a single point.
“Growing up, you kind of just fall in love with his game and who he is. And then as I got older you kind of fall in love with his mindset and how he approached the game,” added Daniels about how he drew inspiration from Bryant’s game and mentality.
With the same determination and belief in himself, Daniels is once again preparing for a thrilling clash against his divisional rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles at their home turf of Lincoln Field, whom he destroyed in Week 16 of the regular season.
Related: Jayden Daniels trolls Lions rookie with “Cancun on 3” message after Commanders’ playoff win
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Pratyusha Srivastava
(2141 Articles Published)