Washington Commanders rising star quarterback Jayden Daniels just put together a prolific rookie season. Daniels was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and eclipsed the record for rushing yards by a first-year quarterback, breaking the mark previously set by Robert Griffin III when he played for Washington in 2012.

Daniels is on a path to greatness after leading the Commanders to the NFC Championship in his first season as a starter. Fittingly, the California native draws inspiration from one of the most hardworking and competitive athletes of all time, NBA legend Kobe Bryant.

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Following Washington’s upset victory in the playoffs against Detroit last month, Daniels went into detail about what the basketball icon means to him. He debuted Nike Kobe 6 cleats in the win over the Lions, completing 22/31 passes for 299 yards with two touchdowns while rushing 16 times for 51 yards as the Commanders put up a season-best 45 points.

“Kobe, my favorite athlete of all time, especially growing up in Southern California, watching the Lakers, watching Kobe,” Daniels said. “So that’s kind of where that inspiration comes from and like, just growing up seeing that.”

“Growing up, you kind of just fall in love with his game and who he is. As I got older, you fall in love with his mindset and just everything like that, just how he approached the game,” Daniels continued. “He never cheated the game, he took it serious, and he gave his all every time he was on the court.”

Daniels continued to display his adoration for the former Los Angeles Lakers star and five-time champion. Over the weekend, he showed off a 1996 Bowman’s Best Kobe Bryant Rookie card. With a PSA 9, the mint card is of superb quality and a pretty cool way to pay homage to Bryant.

Washington selected Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He looked composed out of the gate but certainly took his game to another level late in the season.

Daniels started in all 17 games for the Commanders, completing 331/480 passes for 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns to nine interceptions. He added 148 carries for 891 yards and six more scores on the ground.

The former LSU star threw for 250+ yards five times, including a season-high 326 yards and one touchdown on 21/38 passing in an 18-15 victory against Chicago on October 27. He rushed 16 times for 127 yards as the Commanders took down Atlanta 30-24 on December 29.

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Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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