The Los Angeles Dodgers are MLB champions once again after crushing the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series as Freddie Freeman channels inspiration from Kobe Bryant to become the finals MVP.
The NBA icon died in 2020 but his spirit still lives on and continues to influence countless athletes to this day, including the Dodgers organization that he so intensely supported through their successes and failures.
Kobe Bryant statue unveiled by the Los Angeles Lakers
But whilst he isn’t around anymore, head coach Dave Roberts reveals he is still an idol in the locker room and is key to setting the mentality down for his players to follow when they come up for their at-bats.
“To pull from what Kobe did, what he said,” Roberts told media. “There’s work to be done. He was more than just talented-he was a killer. And our guys get that.”
And they completed that work in Game 5 of the World Series by staging a 5-0 comeback to end Aaron Judge‘s season in the most brutal fashion, leaving the door open for Shohei Ohtani to surely become MLB MVP.
Whilst Kobe couldn’t watch on, his spirit was certainly moving through his wife, Vanessa, who celebrated the Dodgers’ win with a short but impactful post to social media. Taking to Instagram, she posted, “Job finished,” along with a photo of the ex-Los Angeles Laker.
That’s a reference to his, “Job’s not finished,” quip from the 2009 NBA Finals as he called for relentless effort from his team to beat the Orlando Magic, which they went on to do by winning 4-1.
Dodgers donate in Bryant’s memory
So not only is Bryant influencing the Dodgers in terms of his mentality, philosophy and approach to professional sports, he also helped the Californian team to become more charitable, despite his passing away.
The franchise recently donated $100,000 to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation as well as handing out free Kobe jerseys ahead of their clash with the Tampa Bay Rays on August 23, the same date as his birthday.
