Since Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing in January, many around the sports world have done what they can to honor the former Los Angeles Lakers star. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr hasn’t been shy about his Lakers fandom in the past and has consistently been one of Kobe’s biggest fans. He was among the many people who were devastated by his death and just recently revealed how he’ll be honoring the Laker great.
Carr showed off the sleeve he’ll be wearing on his arm for the season, a look that Kobe made iconic during his playing days.
Carr also had a chance to explain why he chose to wear the sleeve as his way of honoring Kobe.
“I tried my best to think,’ What would be a cool way to honor Kobe?'” Carr told reporters in a conference call Tuesday. “This is a personal thing, I don’t care what anyone else thinks about it. This is for me. What would be a cool way to honor Kobe Bryant? He always wore an arm sleeve on his arm. I was like, ‘Well, I can’t wear one on my right arm, so I’ll wear one on my left arm.’
“It’s really just to honor Kobe. I’m sure you’ll see a lot of players doing that with number changes … I think you’ll see a lot of players just wanting to honor him, because as a kid I watched every YouTube video, I watched every game. I would tell my dad by the way he ran down the court, ‘This is going to be a post-up fadeaway. He’s set him up.” And it would happen. I just watched everything.
“He just meant so much to me. Then, when I got to know him. Then, he followed me on Twitter, that blew my mind. That was the best day of my life. Just getting to know him, talk to him, have conversations with him, just what he meant to me as an athlete. The Mamba Mentality is trying to be the best version of yourself every day. I have the big old poster in my office, my weight room now with that Mamba Mentality mantra on it. It’s just a way to honor him, so I’ll wear it all year. The only reason is to honor him and just what he meant to me as a kid growing up.”
Wearing a sleeve was how players for the Lakers honored Kobe in their first game after his death.
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Kobe & Carr Had Relationship Before Passing
Carr grew up a huge fan of Kobe and he was able to meet the basketball icon before his passing.
Kobe also gave Carr a shoutout after he hurt his leg during the 2016 season.
Kobe was a legend on the court but he also influenced many people across every sport throughout his life. Carr certainly hasn’t forgotten the way he influenced him.
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Raiders’ Derek Carr Reveals Unique Kobe Bryant Tribute [LOOK]