MIAMI — The sudden death of basketball icon Kobe Bryant was on people’s minds in the NFL community Monday as members of the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers convened at Marlins Park for the Super Bowl Opening Night event.
Bryant, a five-time NBA champion who played all 20 of his NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, died Sunday in a helicopter crash, along with his daughter Gianna, 13, and seven other occupants. There were no survivors.
Prior to Monday’s fan fest, there was a moment of silence for Bryant. Later, former BYU linebacker Fred Warner shared how he and his 49er teammates learned of Bryant’s death.
“I found out on the plane ride over to Miami. Pretty much once we got off the ground, someone told me. I honestly couldn’t even believe it,” Warner said. “It was so, it’s still just unbelievable right now. It was an emotional plane ride for sure, everywhere you look you see him. It’s a very tough situation.”
Warner described how Bryant’s mentality — and the fervor with which he lived — touched lives beyond the realm of sports.
“Myself, I’ve tried to incorporate his mentality into my game. He reached across all types of people, whether it’s athletes or not. It’s a very sad situation. My thoughts and prayers are to everybody involved. It was heartbreaking,” Warner said.
The news also struck former Utah State running back Darwin Thompson hard.
“I hate it has to be after his death that I recognize how much he meant to me in my life. That Mamba mentality — that swagger and that aggression to the game, preparation and dedication, to do that much for the love of the game of basketball,” Thompson said.
Thompson, a first-year back for Kansas City, shared his appreciation for Bryant’s example of hard work and dedication.
“It will live on forever through me because I love football and I’ll never be content. He was one of the best players to play this game, and that’s how I am going to go about life until the day that I’m gone,” he said.