‘My Idol’: NFL Star Justin Simmons Explains How Kobe Bryant Inspired Him to Be a Better Father

NBA fans have often hailed Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant for his otherworldly performances on the basketball court. Fans often refer to him in the ‘greatest of all time’ debates, while comparing him to NBA legends like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and others. Various athletes have often praised the ‘Black Mamba’ for his cordial relations with family and especially his children.

Justin Simmons, an NFL player for the Denver Broncos, recently lauded Kobe Bryant for his relationship with his daughters. Simmons reserved high praise for the former Lakers player in a video posted by the Broncos’ Twitter account. Bryant and his daughter Gianna, 13, died in a tragic helicopter crash in January 2020.

Simmons said, “I loved my daughter before the unfortunate passing of Kobe. But then I think just like really diving into like his perspective on like you know people were asking him, “What about a boy?”, you know things like that.

“And Kobe was like my sports idol growing up and so I just look back at those interviews. And I already love my daughter, but then it really hit me like; There’s something about investing as a dad, as a man, into your daughter’s life that is just such a special bond.”

Kobe Bryant is survived by his wife Vanessa Laine Bryant, and three daughters. He shared four daughters with Vanessa Bryant. The five-time NBA champion married Vanessa in April 2001 at Dana Point, California.

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Kobe Bryant on coaching his daughter’s basketball team

Kobe Bryant appearing on the ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ show revealed that he was coaching his daughter’s basketball team. He joked around with host Jimmy Kimmel about sarcastically punishing his daughters if they lost games. However, he explained that they helped the kids on the team to prepare for a future in basketball.

Kobe said, “What we try to do is teach the kids what excellence looks like. And it’s not that, you know, some of them may want to play in the WNBA, some of them may not. But we want to give them the amount of preparation and work that it takes to be excellent in whatever it is they choose to do. We’re going to focus on the details, learn the basics, learn the fundamentals, do those things over and over, and hopefully, it’s something they can apply to other areas in their life.” Kobe also further stated that he was supportive regarding his daughter’s dream of playing in the WNBA.

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