The 49ers and Chiefs took a moment ahead of Super Bowl LIV to honor the nine lives lost in the helicopter crash that took nine lives, including former Lakers star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant.
While the stadium took a moment of silence, the players and coaches all lined up at the 24-yard-lines in honor of Bryant.
Bryant was a big topic of discussion Monday at Super Bowl Opening Night where all players and coaches were available for interviews. That was just a day after the crash, and the impact of the loss in the crash rippled all the way through to game day.
At least two players wore cleats in pregame featuring tributes to Bryant, and 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman wore a Bryant jersey to the stadium.
Sherman on Monday also said he intended to honor Bryant by stepping up and playing big in a big game, and many players invoked Bryant’s ‘Mamba Mentality’ when discussing how they planned to honor the legendary basketball player.
It’ll be interesting to see if there are any additional tributes to Bryant during the game outside of players taking the Mamba Mentality with them into action.
