Meeting your childhood hero is what everyone dreams of doing one day. You couldn’t possibly think of something that would trump meeting Kobe Bryant, the NBA legend, but for this NASCAR driver – he met someone that even beat his meeting The Black Mamba.

Ryan Blaney had the great honor of meeting Kobe Bryant, the man who inspired him and millions others. But while attending a Bryant game, he came across another person that he adores (read: celebrity crush that he loves). He spoke about the encounter in an interview with Kristine Leahy.

Kristine asked, “Was it cooler meeting him or Daisy Ridley?” Blaney replied, “Meeting Daisy was the best” [so that’s your big celebrity crush?] It is yeah. Now, Daisy, I got to meet her at a Laker game. We’re sitting in the Laker game, and she walks by and this was a couple of years ago right when the first of the newest episodes came out, right. It was the Force Awakens. She walks by and I’m with my buddy and I’m like oh my god that’s Daisy Ridley, he didn’t who she was, he doesn’t like Star Wars.

“I’m like I will never see her again, I’m going into the mist so we end up leaving like fourth quarter… she was walking the opposite way past us. This is destiny, this is fate. So I hate asking people for things but I had to do it – I asked her for a photo. She was very nice, we talked for a minute. That was the best minute of my life.”

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A big moment in his life. Blaney would never have thought that fate would play out so favorably for him, but it did!

Ryan Blaney was among the few who took part in the Kobe Bryant memorial

Bryant passed away on a sad evening after his helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California in 2020.

Given his massive influence over all sports including NASCAR, drivers and teams decided to dedicate a special something to the NBA legend. Among those paying tribute to the legend was Ryan Blaney. Blaney had his car designed with a special paint job for that California race. The design was deliberated along with the Body Armor team.

Aside from Blaney’s Penske Ford, William Byron had a special paint job done for his Axalta Chevy. Daniel Suarez went for a “24” imprinted pair of gloves and shoes. The race organizers also the number “24”, Kobe’s jersey number, painted on the in-field grass in honor of his passing.

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Kobe’s passing affected thousands and thousands of people across the world. Basketball and NASCAR were among a host of other sports that paid tribute to the legend.