Darius Slay Plans To Cheer For Kobe Bryant At The Palace Sunday
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
Come Sunday, Lions cornerback Darius Slay will be wearing purple and gold instead of his typical blue and silver.
In a reminder that multimillionaire athletes are sometimes just like everyone else, Slay will be putting on another man's jersey and cheering for his childhood hero, Kobe Bryant, when the Lakers come to town to play the Pistons.
"I'm gonna be at the game in my Lakers jersey," Slay said. "I'm gonna have a big old sign that says 'Slay loves Kobe.'… I need my picture (with him), I need the handshake, I might need a hug. I've got to have a hug."
Slay became a Lakers fan solely because of Bryant and now owns several of Bryant's jerseys – the No. 24, the yellow No. 8, the throwback No. 8.
"He's nuts about it," Lions receiver Lance Moore said about Slay's infatuation with Bryant.
"Slay's like a Kobe worshipper," safety James Ihedigbo said. "He's got a little shrine in his locker."
Slay has seen him play in Los Angeles and several times in Detroit. And now, Slay will take his 8-year-old son to see Bryant play at the Palace, just a week after the NBA star announced his pending retirement after this season.
"I cried," Slay said when asked about his reaction to the news. "I cried for like two hours."
With courtside seats already purchased for Sunday's Pistons game, Slay said his goal is to eventually meet Bryant. He said he's been tweeting at the Lakers star to get his attention, and says if he's close enough to the action Sunday, he'll reach out for a high-five.
Even though Slay lives and plays in Detriot, he'll be cheering against the Pistons.
"He (Bryant) needs to go ahead and drop 40 on them to show them he's still got it," he said.
But when asked if his son was just as excited to see Bryant play, Slay rolled his eyes at the next generation.
"He's a Lebron fan," he said.