Eagles cornerback Darius Slay is making his debut with the Birds on Sunday, and he's kicking things off with an awesome nod to a Philly-area great: the late Kobe Bryant.
Slay took the field for pre-game warmups in Washington on Sunday morning in a black short-sleeve hoodie with Bryant's No. 8 as a tribute to the Lakers legend:
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Sunday marks the Eagles' first game, and also Slay's first game, since Bryant's tragic death earlier this year. What a cool gesture.
Interestingly, Slay is wearing No. 24 on the field this season, the same number that Bryant switched to in the middle of his career, after wearing No. 23 in Detroit, in large part because of Bryant's impact on his life.
Slay explained the number change earlier this summer:
“I just love how much he competed,” Slay said. “He was a true competitor. He worked on his craft. I believe the work you put in is [what] you get out of it.”
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“It’s just the part about doing anything and be willing to do anything to be good and be great,” Slay said. “That’s what I took out a lot of stuff that he did and that’s what I’ll continue to keep doing.”
Slay first met Bryant, who he has called one of his favorite athletes ever, back in 2015, and was blown away when Bryant knew who he was.
Just all around really cool stuff from the Eagles' new No. 1 corner.