Cooper Kupp may not be from Los Angeles, but he certainly knows how to endear himself to Angelenos, both on and off the field.
Kupp, a native of Washington, not only brought L.A. its first Super Bowl win in nearly 40 years, he also honored one of the city’s greatest sports heroes in the process.
Kupp donned a black Kobe Bryant jersey, with the Black Mamba’s original number, 8, on the front and his later jersey number, 24, on the back.
On stage during the celebration, Kupp was asked about wearing the jersey. The star wide receiver said he was inspired by Bryant’s legendary work ethic, which resulted in five championships for the Lakers.
“I’m standing here in this city that knows nothing but championships,” Kupp said. “We’re all here celebrating this championship. Kobe is a part of this. He belongs here. I’ll tell you what, he set the standard. All I know is get back to work, let’s run it back.”