Following her 2nd US Open title win Naomi Osaka wore a Kobe Bryant Lakers jersey saying: “I truly think it gave me strength.” During her post-match presser, the tennis star talked about Bryant’s belief in her and how he served as an inspiration throughout her career.
I wore this jersey every day after my matches. I truly think it gave me strength. Always 💛💜 pic.twitter.com/R1pTUCaCgq
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) September 13, 2020
"I just want to be the type of person that he thought I was going to be. He thought I was going to be great, so hopefully, I will be great in the future."@naomiosaka on Kobe Bryant's belief in her 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/g0T9DwY9Ve
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 13, 2020
.@naomiosaka once told her idol, Kobe Bryant, that she wanted to be just like him.
His response? "No, be better." pic.twitter.com/9T8JRMaPU9
— ESPN (@espn) September 12, 2020