When Novak Djokovic considered the number 24, he couldn’t help but think about Kobe Bryant.
Djokovic thus wore a blue T-shirt in tribute to the legendary Los Angeles Lakers player after winning the U.S. Open on Sunday night for an unprecedented 24th Grand Slam victory.
The front of the jersey has the words “Mamba Forever” with images of Bryant and Djokovic. One of the two numbers Bryant wore throughout his Hall of Fame career, the No. 24, was displayed on the back in purple.
Djokovic claimed that he came up with the concept for a tribute to his friend approximately a week ago. He said that Bryant, who passed away in 2020 in a helicopter crash that also claimed the lives of his daughter Gianna and seven other people, gave him employment advise.
“Kobe was a close friend, we chatted a lot about the winner’s mentality when I was struggling with injury and trying to make my comeback, work my way back to the top of the game,” Djokovic said. “He was one of the people that I relied on the most.”
“He was always there for any kind of counsel, advice, any kind of support in the most friendly way,” Djokovic continued. “So of course what happened a few years ago and him and his daughter passing hurt me deeply, and I thought 24 is the jersey he wore when he became a legend of the Lakers and world basketball, so I thought it couldbe a nice, symbolic thing to acknowledge him for all the things he’s done.”
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