Raiders’ Derek Carr will have a new look this season. It’s to honor Kobe Bryant
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has always been a Kobe Bryant fan.
The former Fresno State star plans to honor the late Los Angeles Lakers legend by wearing a special left arm sleeve this NFL season, Carr revealed on his Instagram page.
Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash near Calabasas in January.
“This is a personal thing,” Carr said in a Zoom conference call on Tuesday. “I don’t care what anybody else thinks about it. This is for me and what would be a cool way to honor Kobe Bryant?”
Carr was a young boy growing up in Bakersfield when Bryant started his career with the Lakers. “I’ve watched every game,” Carr said.
And when Bryant followed him on Twitter, Carr said, “that blew my mind.”
Carr said he has a big poster of Bryant in his house that’s a source of inspiration because of Bryant’s approach to sports and life: “The ‘Mamba’ mentality is try to be the best version of yourself everyday. It’s to honor Kobe and what he meant to me.”
Carr said he will not opt out
Also on the call, Carr talked about the NFL giving players an opportunity to opt out this season because of the coronavirus.
Carr, who has three boys and a girl on the way in December, said he has no plans to opt out.
“I have a lot to prove to myself and to the organization,” he said.
Carr went a step further and said, “I’m tired of being disrespected.”
This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 4:05 PM.
