Darius Slay has long been one of Kobe Bryant’s loudest fans, and for any fan, meeting the Lakers legend for the first time is a memorable experience. The memory of the first time he met with Bryant is special for the NFL player as well. In tribute to the icon, he recently got a thoughtful tattoo. However, the tattoo may not have gone as planned, as his teammates and fans couldn’t resist trolling Slay.

For the tattoo, Slay is immortalizing that exact moment when he first met the Lakers legend. It was a tattoo of him as well as Kobe Bryant on his leg. While Slay could clearly be seen on the tattoo, Bryant was nowhere to be seen, which quickly raised doubts among netizens. There were words in a different language as well. Some went on to question why the tattoo, which was meant to be a tribute to Bryant, doesn’t even include the Lakers legend.

His teammate A.J. Brown had a different opinion and mercilessly teased him. He felt that Slay didn’t look like himself in the picture. Brown was quick to point out that the Philadelphia Eagles player in the tattoo looked like Odell Beckham Jr., which inspired another string of laughter among the fans. 

Bleacher Report even shared the exchange on its official Instagram page along with the picture of Slay and Kobe that was probably the inspiration for the tattoo. “Slay got a tattoo of the moment he met Kobe Bryant,” the post is captioned. Slay himself took to the comments section to explain his tattoo. “It’s a pic of me an Kobe man,” he wrote along with laughter emojis.

Perhaps Bryant could not be seen due to the camera angle. But it seems Slay’s efforts were in vain, as the comment went ignored by the fans, who continued to troll him.

Fans troll Darius Slay for his tattoo tribute 

Some have already demanded that Slay should get his tattoo corrected. The NFL player who has reportedly a net worth of $25.8 million was trolled for having so much money and yet not getting his tattoo corrected. “All that money and can’t pay for a good tattoo or cover up,” a fan wrote.

It’s tough to understand whether the tattoo is wrong or it’s just a misunderstanding. One of the netizens even roasted the tattoo artist and wrote, “For having money. The choice in tattoo artist is crazy. 👎🏻” It’s a very special tattoo for Slay. In an interview with Jenna Laine of ESPN, Slay mentioned how he had met Bryant for the first time in 2014. 

He remembered the “encouraging words” that the Los Angeles Lakers legend said to him. This tattoo was a reminder of that moment. Could it be possible that he made a mistake? A netizen assumed that even Slay himself wasn’t impressed with the tattoo. “Naa he was boutta start cryin😭” a fan wrote.

To honor Bryant, Slay also took up the jersey No. 24. He wore No. 23 during his six years with the Detroit Lions. Back in 2020, when he joined the Philadelphia Eagles, he decided to take the No. 24. Another wrote, “How’d he not put Kobe in the tat.” This jersey switch was before the Pro Bowl when all the NFL players, including Slay, found out about the tragic news of Bryant’s death. It was heartbreaking for everyone who knew the legend. 

And finally arrived the paragraph man who shared an assumption in the comments section that clarifies a lot of doubts. “It’s a tattoo of the photo (bad tattoo work) and the video doesn’t show the full tattoo,” the fan wrote. So, did Slay make a mistake, or is it just the camera angle?