Barry Bonds was undoubtedly one of the most gifted baseball talents. Though scandals and controversies have affected this legend’s fame to a great extent, his contribution is undeniable. While he has most of the MLB awards in his possession, he still revealed his only wanted item from Willie Mays, his godfather.

Although renowned for his disputes with teammates and team managers, MLB legend has a different side altogether, which sometimes comes out when he gets emotional. Once showing this side of his personality, the ex-SF Giants star revealed the most incredible gift he wanted and received from his godfather.

Barry Bonds Received His Best Gift From Willie Mays

There are probably only a few people who have left a long-lasting impact on the former San Francisco Giants legend, and Willie Mays was one of them. For the 7x MVP, Willie was his godfather, whom he considered his idol and wanted to be like him. Once Bonds even revealed that he wanted to become a left-fielder because of his father and Willie Mays.

While speaking about various aspects of his career in an interview session with Goldin’s episode titled, “EXCLUSIVE: BARRY BONDS Like You’ve Never Seen or Heard Him Before,” Bonds revealed his childhood experiences with Mays and that he is often asked about what he received from his godfather as a gift. 

To which, the 14x All-Star said, “I don’t have anything of his, I have a couple of pictures that we’ve done together and things like that. I let everyone know, the greatest gift that Willie could have ever given me was being my Godfather.” The Home Run King expressed his father had a glove of Mays, but he didn’t want any gift from him besides being his godson.

Gifts generally bring an image of any item received from someone. However, for Bonds, having a legendary player like Willie Mays as his God-father is the greatest gift he could ever receive from him. Bonds was always been respectful towards his Godfather, even more than his own father. They used to be family friends, and later their relationship turned into godfather-godson.

How Did Godfather-Godson Relationship Develop?

Willie Mays and Barry Bonds’ relationship didn’t develop in a single day or from any professional angle. Bobby Bonds and Willie Mays were companions in the San Francisco Giants. Mays had almost reached the end of his career when Bobby joined the Giants. During their journey of four years of playing together, they became family friends, regardless of the age gap. However, Young Barry used to visit the Clubhouse with his father, watching Mays and Bobby playing together.

Read More: “I Sleep Next to Him”- Barry Bonds Once Paid a Bizarre Tribute to an MLB Legend Who Also Serves as a Godfather

In an interview, Willie Mays once revealed the secret of their friendship, “When Barry was about 5, he used to come to my locker because I had four or five cases of bubble gum. I would take Barry out to center field, and he would hang with me.” Later, he gradually became Barry’s greatest support and even supported his family after Bobby Bonds’ death.

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