Tennis star Naomi Osaka recently won the Australian Open after a truly dominant run to the title.
Not long after she hoisted the trophy on the court, she took to social media to post a video of herself celebrating the win while wearing some Los Angeles Lakers gear.
you know the vibes 🏆💜💛 pic.twitter.com/M9RpggYXkn
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) February 21, 2021
Osaka also wore the Lakers gear after dominating tennis legend Serena Williams earlier in the tournament.
Kobe Bryant became a mentor for Naomi Osaka when she was dealing with some adversity in 2019. She wore a Kobe Lakers jersey after every match on her way to winning the 2020 US Open. Here she is channeling her Mamba Mentality after beating Serena Williams at the Australian Open. pic.twitter.com/Wvg4zBZOtj
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) February 18, 2021
Undoubtedly, the decision to wear the gear was a nod to her former mentor, the late, great Kobe Bryant.
In fact, Osaka admitted that she wore the fit for a very specific reason after defeating Williams.
“For today, I felt like I needed some extra strength,” she said. “That’s kind of why I’m wearing this.”
Osaka is quickly becoming the face of international tennis. Surely, she will continue to try to emulate Bryant’s winning ways as her own sports career continues.
