Immediately after winning his 24th Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open on Sunday night, tennis superstar Novak Djokovic honored the memory of the late NBA legend, Kobe Bryant, wearing a T-shirt with a picture of him and Bryant, with the words “Mamba Forever.”
“I said, 24 is the jersey he wore when he became a Lakers and world basketball legend. So I thought it might be a nice, symbolic thing to commemorate him.”.
Novak hits 24 and pays tribute to the late Kobe Bryant 💙 pic.twitter.com/rDXVUvYe1Z
– US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2023
Djokovic was friends with Bryant, whose death-along with that of his daughter Gianna-in a 2020 helicopter crash shook the sports world. The former Lakers superstar is often revered by current greats of various sports, and Djokovic continued this tradition after his latest triumph.
“Kobe was a dear friend.” Djokovic said. “We talked a lot about the winning mentality when I was struggling with the injury and trying to get back to the top of my game. He was one of the people I counted on the most. He was always available for any kind of advice, assistance and support, in a very friendly way.”
Novak shares the idea behind his tribute to Kobe 🗣 pic.twitter.com/aFd7xStqVx
– US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 11, 2023
.entry-footer –>