Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality reportedly was God-given. The 41-year-old basket legend, family man, film producer, author and philanthropist reportedly attended Mass regularly, including the morning he was tragically killed.
Father Steve Sallot from Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Angels informed Orange County, California’s KCBS/KCAL that Bryant visited the prayer chapel with his family. Sallot said he crossed paths with the superstar that fateful morning, where later Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other would perish in a helicopter crash.
Sallot said Bryant arrived before the 7 a.m. Mass. “We shook hands. I saw that he had blessed himself because there was a little holy water on his forehead,” he told KCBS/KCAL.
Bryant was not boisterous about his religious beliefs but Sallot described him as “a man of faith.”
In a post on Facebook, Bishop Timothy Freyer shared that Bryant would go out of his way to ensure that his presence did not distract his fellow parishioners from communing with God. “He was a committed Catholic who loved his family and loved his faith. A longtime Orange County resident and parishioner in our Diocese, Kobe would frequently attend Mass and sit in the back of the church so that his presence would not distract people from focusing on Christ’s Presence,” wrote Freyer.
Another Catholic priest from Boston, David Barnes, revealed that he was told of Bryant’s attendance at the church that morning prior to the news breaking publicly.
“A friend texted me today to tell me that a friend of hers saw #KobeBryant at #Catholic Mass this morning. Mass is the worship of God. Heaven is the worship of God. Go to Mass here so that you can worship God forever in heaven,” he wrote.
May the Black Mamba and his beloved baby girl rest in peace.