Seattle Seahawks rookie cornerback Coby Bryant is a pretty big fan of the NBA legend who shares his name. But rather than shy away from his connection to Kobe, Coby Bryant is embracing it with his jersey number.
On Friday, Bryant revealed that he has chosen the number 8 for his jersey number in Seattle. No. 8 was the number Kobe Bryant originally wore with the Los Angeles Lakers before switching to 24 in 2006. The number 24 is already worn by Justin Coleman.
In a corresponding move, Coby Bryant changed the profile image. It now features Kobe famously holding up the No. 8 jersey from when he joined the Lakers in 1996.
Coby Bryant was born and raised in Cleveland and initially played safety at Cincinnati before switching to cornerback in 2018. Over five years with the Bearcats, he would play in 53 games.
Bryant recorded 35 passes defended, nine interceptions, 170 tackles, five tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. In his final two years, Bryant earned First-Team All-AAC honors twice. He won the Jim Thorpe award in 2021.
While his teammate Sauce Gardner went No. 4 overall to the Jets, the Seattle Seahawks were impressed enough to take Bryant in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
It’ll be hard for Coby Bryant to stand out and dominate the way Kobe did. But it’s clearly something on his mind.