While the 19-foot bronze statue outside the Crypto.com Arena celebrates Kobe Bryant‘s achievements, players of the future generation are the torchbearers of his legacy. One of the shining examples of that is Alabama Crimson Tide star Grant Nelson. After claiming a historic win over UNC to reach the Elite Eight for the first time in two decades, the 22-year-old replicated Bryant’s iconic pose where he held his finger over his mouth. 

It was a quiet gesture to hush the naysayers. Alabama has also faced its share of criticism. And what could be more iconic than Nelson imitating Bryant’s pose? The forward had 24 points and 12 rebounds on a memorable night for Alabama. Bryant’s famous picture was taken during the Gold Medal Game at the 2008 Olympics, where he carried the team on his back in the 4th quarter.

Bryant showed up when the team needed him the most. Team USA was leading by five points against Spain. With very little time on the clock, the Los Angeles Lakers legend made a bold increase in Team USA’s lead. To capture the memorable moment, Bryant just stood there with a finger over his mouth.

The Black Mamba was the life of the game who kept hitting back every time there was a crisis. The sentiments were similar in Alabama’s matchup against UNC with Nelson’s monster performance in the final minute. 

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Alabama’s Head Coach sang praises of Grant Nelson’s contributions

The Crimson Tide started the change in the game when Nelson single-handedly ripped off for 7-0 with a significant 3-pointer to give a strong lead. His performance was even more significant given his struggles in the previous two games. Nelson showed a tremendous improvement as he bounced back with a performance of scoring 12 out of the team’s last 14 points. 

After Alabama’s matchup against Mississippi State, Head Coach Nate Oats claimed that his players aren’t “frail.” “I think defensively, he’s (Nelson) gotten good at guarding the post, meaning we can play him at the ‘5’ here a bit more. He’s a good defensive player, he doesn’t foul as much as some of our other post players on the interior. I thought he fought Tolu (Smith) really tough, so he’s certainly not soft,” Nate Oats said during the post-game press conference.

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Nelson just proved his head coach right as he defeated the No. 1 seed UNC 89-87. Speaking of his power-packed performance, Nelson said, “(I had) just all the confidence in the world. These guys coming up to me, telling me great things. I didn’t start this tournament with the best two games. These guys are saying, ‘Go out there, go get a bucket, really.’ That gives me a lot of confidence and I give them a lot of credit.”

The battle is not over yet. The Alabama will face the Clemson next. What are your thoughts on this? Can Nelson replicate another one of Bryant’s iconic poses with another win?

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