Philadelphia Eagles honor Kobe Bryant with mural at NovaCare Complex

Kobe Bryant’s likeness will now grace the Philadelphia Eagles’ training facility.

Six months after his untimely passing, the Philadelphia Eagles are still doing all that they can to ensure that Kobe Bryant’s memory lives on. Thanks to a couple of sources, including Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation, who shared a post from Alshon Jeffery’s Instagram Story, the man we call “Black Mamba” now has his likeness fixtured at the Novacare Complex for all to see.

Bryant, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 23rd of 1978, was a lifelong Eagles fan. He also delivered a heartfelt message to the 2017 Eagles on the Friday that led up to their appearance in Super Bowl 52. There isn’t a “Birds” fan on the planet that doesn’t know what happened on that Sunday night in Minneapolis.

Wouldn’t it have been nice to be in the locker room to hear that pep talk? Here’s a quick glimpse of that mural if you haven’t seen it.

Here’s a brief history lesson for Philadelphia Eagles and Kobe Bryant fans.

Prior to carving out a career that earned him a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s class of 2020, Bryant earned two NBA Finals MVPs in 2009 and 2010 as a part of five NBA Championship-winning teams (2000–2002, 2009, 2010). He also won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player trophy in 2008. The resume is hard to match, even if we’re talking about the best players to ever play the game. He’s an 18-time NBA All-Star, a four-time NBA All-Star Game MVP, and an 11-time All-NBA First Team nod.

Before he became the “Mamba”, was drafted 13th-overall by the Charlotte Hornets, or earned an NBA All-Rookie Second Team nod, Bryant started as a freshman for Lower Merion High School in Ardmore and quickly earned his place as one of the nation’s best players.

The basketball world is still in mourning following the unexpected death of both he and his daughter Gianna. His legacy will live on, however, through his wife, Vanessa Laine Bryant, his three surviving daughters (Natalia Diamante Bryant, Bianka Bella Bryant, and Capri Kobe Bryant), his fans, and now, poetically, a beautiful mural at the NovaCare Complex that demonstrates the love that was shared between an NBA legend that loved a football team and a team that loved him. This one’s definitely a nice touch.