Eagles' C.J. Gardner-Johnson pays homage to late NBA legend Kobe Bryant with meaningful gesture: "Tapping into a new mentality"
The last time C.J. Gardner-Johnson was with the Eagles, he nearly got a championship. But it was not quite enough as he lost in the Super Bowl to Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs.
He then went away for a year to play for the Detroit Lions and made it all the way to the NFC Championship game. But that was not quite the job done and Philadelphia brought him back to shore up a defense that gave way towards the end of last season. And he has added motivation of adding a ring after missing out by a whisker in consecutive seasons.
And to do so, he is channeling one of the greatest competitors sports has ever seen. Kobe Bryant was the master of the hustle and never shied away from wanting to win. The basketball legend is not only one of the greatest to play the game, but in terms of work ethic, he is perhaps peerless.
And C.J. Gardner-Johnson is a huge fan. He also knows that Kobe Bryant was from Philadelphia, even though he made his name with the Los Angeles Lakers. The safety feels that bringing his spirit with him will help him improve. And that is why he is choosing to wear number 8 this year, in an homage to the NBA great, instead of the 23 he used to wear when he was with the Eagles previously. He said,
"My favorite player [Kobe] is from here. Tapping into a new mentality. It's something people will be great to see this year. I'm on my Kobe mode right now. I'm coming out with the Mamba. I'm coming out with the 8 this year."
C.J. Gardner-Johnson sets his sights on winning the Super Bowl
It was clear from hearing him speak that C.J. Gardner-Johnson is settling for nothing less than the Super Bowl this year. And he promised he is going to push his teammates the same way Kobe Bryant did so that all of them pulling towards that goal. He added,
"Mamba Mentality. I'm here to win.. I demand excellence. What made Kobe so great was he doesn't settle, and demands greatness from his teammates.. It's a mentality to go out there and win, and kill.. in a good way."
Whether C.J. Gardner-Johnson can emulate Kobe Bryant and win a ring remains to be seen. Many have tried to emulate the great but few have succeeded. He was a singular phenomenon.