Commanders swear by ‘Mamba Mentality’ of late Kobe Bryant

A serpentine specter looms over the Washington Commanders, providing inspiration for players who grew up admiring the cool charisma of the NBA’s “Black Mamba.”

Five years after his death, NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant’s influence extends beyond basketball to Commanders players like quarterback Jayden Daniels, linebacker Von Miller, linebacker Bobby Wagner and others.

Daniels said he thinks about Bryant — and his legendary work ethic — on a daily basis as he strives to embody the “Mamba Mentality,” an intense attitude toward practices and games that defined the Los Angeles Lakers’ legend.

Bryant was always an iconic figure for basketball fans growing up in the early 2000s, especially those from Southern California like Daniels and Wagner. His stature has only grown since he — along with his daughter, Gianna, and seven others — died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

The Mamba Mentality lives on.

“When it’s time to kill, kill. When it’s winning-time moments, let’s not flinch,” said linebacker Frankie Luvu, another Bryant fan. “It’s just a lifestyle. He made it a lifestyle; how he went about his work, and it trickled down to Bobby, Jayden, myself and a lot of other guys on this team.”

Bryant explained his take-no-prisoners approach in a 2018 autobiography. What set the five-time champion apart, he argued, was his devotion to being the best. From midnight workouts to extensive film sessions, the Philadelphia native was relentless.

The Mamba Mentality has proven to be a sticky philosophy for athletes, especially those who watched Bryant play.

His relentless pursuit of victory struck a chord with athletes across the country. Wagner and Daniels were Bryant devotees long before they were professional football players and they exemplify the Bryant approach.

Mamba time in the District

Daniels’ favorite athlete isn’t Michael Vick or LaDainian Tomlinson, whose NFL jerseys he owned as a kid. It’s Bryant, by a mile.

“Just his embodiment of the work and, as I got older, the mentality: he was fearless, never flinched in those big moments,” Washington’s second-year signal-caller said. “You see it time and time again. You see why he was so successful and why he won five championships.”

Coaches, teammates and fans lauded Daniels’ own unshakability during his first season. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner led Washington to five fourth-quarter comebacks in the rookie campaign, which culminated with a trip to the NFC championship game.

From a “Hail Mary” to overtime victories and playoff comebacks, Daniels never second-guessed himself. Bryant inspired that.

“You don’t blink when times get tough, adversity. [I tried] to pick up some things, but in those moments he never flinched,” the Commanders’ quarterback said. “The moment was never too big because he knew what he did at practice, he knew how he prepared and he wasn’t going to mess with anybody that didn’t prepare or work as hard as him.”

“Mamba” terminology has caught on with the coaching staff. Trailing by two scores late in the game, where the team needs heroics to stay alive, is now known as “Mamba Time.”

Miller, who wears No. 24 partially in honor of Bryant, said nobody on the team better embodies Bryant’s approach than Daniels.

“He’s got that kill mentality,” the pass rusher said. “He’s always striking. He’s super aggressive.”

Miller has been knee-deep in that mindset since 2020, when an ankle injury effectively derailed his tenure with the Denver Broncos. He was traded to the Los Angeles Rams the next year and lived a short hike from Bryant’s crash site in Southern California.

Before a playoff game in January 2022, he made the pilgrimage.

“I just wanted to go over there and feel that energy, feel the spirit,” Miller told reporters at the time. “I definitely tried to apply [the Mamba Mentality] to my life, to my game as a teammate, as a brother, as a father, and it’s been great. Man, I hope we can perform in a way that would make him proud.”

Off the field

On the field, the Mamba Mentality means striking when opportunities arise — an unshakeable intensity and focus on winning, regardless of the situation. The same applies to practice and training. Players like Daniels and Wagner are proudly among the first to arrive at the facility every day.

But even players united in their appreciation for Bryant’s philosophy take different approaches. Daniels sports custom Nike Kobe 6 cleats on the field. Luvu can often be seen after games repping No. 24 in purple and gold gear. Wagner, an avid reader, prefers to keep Bryant’s book on hand.

When the Commanders hit their stride, Luvu said he starts feeling “like Kobe.”

“Just locked in. When it’s winning-time moments, I feel like I’m locked in,” the All-Pro linebacker said. “When your number is called, we’re going to make the play and feel like Kobe.”

Wagner might have closer ties to Bryant than anyone else on the team. The Super Bowl champion met the two-time NBA Finals MVP once, thanks to a favor from former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman.

The exchange has left a lasting impression on the Commanders’ defensive signal-caller.

When Wagner bought a share of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm this summer, he credited Bryant as an inspiration.

“I watched what Kobe was doing for women’s basketball and the WNBA and what he was trying to do,” Wagner said in July. “This was something that was important to me because it’s almost like trying to pick up where he left off.”

To Wagner, the Mamba Mentality isn’t just showing up to the team facility early or staring down opponents between the lines. It’s about learning to balance life off the field, too.

The linebacker makes bone-crunching tackles on the field, meeting running backs at the line with intensity and barking out the offense’s protection for his teammates. Wagner can’t take that same intensity home with him.

“It was a time in his life where he had to separate the person that he was off the court and the person he is on the court. He was this attacker, just a fierce competitor. But at home, he can’t be that,” Wagner said. “I kind of live by that too.”

Wagner has become an outspoken Bryant defender in the years since the fatal helicopter crash. The 18-time NBA All-Star was a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, but his legacy is complicated by a sexual assault allegation from the early 2000s.

Bryant was criminally charged in 2003, but the case was dropped after the complainant refused to testify. A civil case was settled out of court.

But that isn’t Bryant’s legacy, according to Wagner.

“It’s keeping people’s energy and spirit alive. There was a window of time where I felt like everybody was coming out saying these crazy criticisms, trying to take away what he brought to the game,” Wagner said. “Guys like myself just admire his game, what he does, just speaking life into his name and reminding people of the impact that he had.”

That impact is felt in Washington’s locker room every day. Bryant might have applied his philosophy to the NBA, but it has spread far and wide.

“I’m a football player. I’m pretty sure there’s CEOs, there’s women, there’s all types of people that embody the Mamba Mentality,” he said. “They know what that is. You can’t just brush over that legacy.”