From legends like Russell Wilson, Keyshawn Johnson, and Bill Belichick to young athletes like Jayden Daniels, everybody admired ‘Black Mamba’. These are some of the high-profile names in the NFL that had a connection with Kobe Bryant. The Lakers’ legend’s influence was not just limited to the basketball community. Add NFL Network’s Gerald McCoy to that list, as he recently detailed his meeting with one of his childhood heroes on the Dan Patrick Show.

The 6×Pro Bowl star said, “ I did meet Kobe. I met Kobe at the Players Tribune meeting in LA, and for somebody to be somebody you looked up to.” But the meeting was not straightforward. The 37-year-old claims that a year prior to the actual meeting, he got the notice that Kobe Bryant was coming, but that never happened. So, Gerald would have regretted not meeting Black Mamba once the opportunity came through. It was a star-studded lineup with Olympic legend Michael Phelps, tennis icon Maria Sharapova, NFL legend Von Miller, and the basketball stars Paul Pierce, Blake Griffin, and Kevin Durant all in attendance. But McCoy had his eyes locked on only one.

“And I’m like, I know Blake, I know KD, I know Von, I know all these people…I’m like, ‘hey, listen, no offense, where is he at?‘” The Sooners alum also described Kobe Bryant’s humble nature despite his larger-than-life persona. “So I see him walk down the steps, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is happening.’ And he just walks in, and he’s just a normal dude. He’s just a normal dude, man. He walked up like, ‘What’s up, big fella?’ And he’s shaking everybody hand.” After this, there was a personal interaction during the afterparty of the event.

“And he comes outside and he comes, he sit next to me and he slapped me on the leg. He was like, ‘What’s up, big dog? How you how you doing?’ And we like, hold a conversation.” The Oklahoma native continued, “Then I ask for a picture, and then he leaves. It was just like, it was almost like the perfect meeting of one of your like heroes, honestly, and one of the people I looked up to my entire career, man, and it was a great feeling.” Dan Patrick even asked if McCoy was more nervous meeting the Lakers legend or getting prepped for a big playoff game?

The winner was still Kobe Bryant. “I was more nervous meeting Kobe for sure, cuz you don’t want to mess it up.” McCoy even said he had planned the meeting in his head for the longest time, but the nervousness got the better of him. “As much as I’ve been wanting to meet him and all say these things, ‘I’mma say to him when I meet him and all that,’ I ain’t do none of that. I didn’t do none of this. None of that.”

Unlike McCoy, one NBA champion has regrets about not meeting Kobe Bryant

Recently, Jalen Williams of the Thunder squad paid tribute to Kobe Bryant. Just like Jayson Tatum, who won the championship a year before and was highly influenced by the Lakers legend. In fact, JT once shared that he was devastated that the Lakers didn’t draft him, despite him being a Kobe fan. However, the 5x All-Star had opportunities to forge his relationship with Black Mamba. Something that Tatum’s running mate, and Finals MVP of the 2024 championship run, Jaylen Brown.

“That’s one of my biggest regrets in life. I never got to meet Kobe (Bryant)… He did a ‘Detail’ on me in like 2018… It (surprised me that he did it). I was so hyped. I was so hyped… Somebody that’s so influential, it would’ve been great to be able to (meet him).” Brown made this revelation via Kyrie Irving’s Twitch channel. Despite not meeting the Lakers legend, the 4x All-Star made sure to remember his legacy.

Brown has often spoken about Kobe Bryant, acknowledging the profound impact the ‘Mamba Mentality’ has had on his professional journey. That’s why in October 2023, just before turning 27, Jaylen Brown honored Kobe and his daughter Gianna by dedicating a new basketball court in their name at the Roxbury Boys & Girls Club in Boston. A fitting tribute to the 5x NBA champion and his daughter!