Odell Beckham Jr hails Kobe Bryant's 'Mamba Mentality' as Cleveland Browns hit refresh

Odell Beckham Jr didn’t exactly have the best of seasons on the gridiron last year. The former Giants wide receiver was embroiled in a number of controversies. He was caught doling out cash to the LSU Tigers and issuing a ‘come and get me plea’ to rival teams. However, Odell Beckham Jr isn’t looking back. Rather, he chose to get his head down in training under new coach Kevin Stefanski. The Cleveland Browns wide receiver is using Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s ‘Mamba Mentality’ to make it big in the 2020 season.

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OBJ Kobe Bryant and the ‘Mamba Mentality’

In an interview with a sports publication, Odell Beckham Jr revealed that he grew up watching Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal tear it up at the Staples Center. The Cleveland Browns wide receiver said that Kobe Bryant, his drive and his work ethic showed him that there is a limit to where pure talent can take an athlete. “But there’s no substitute for the hard work and the dedication that he (Kobe Bryant) had to the game,” Beckham Jr said.

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Odell Beckham Jr continued by saying that he still looks up to Kobe Bryant and his ‘Mamba Mentality’. “So just that mentality that he had was always to kill, and that’s something that I definitely have in me, and now even more so with what was going on,” he said. 

He concluded by saying that Kobe Bryant has inspired him to do “great things like he did”. He wants to continue the legacy that Kobe Bryant left in the wake of his tragic death.

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Odell Beckham Jr looking forward to playing under new coach

Earlier last month, Odell Beckham Jr stated that he was excited to work with Kevin Stefanski, the newly appointed coach of the Cleveland Browns. Speaking to a sports publication, the former Giants wide receiver said that he was optimistic about what lies ahead for the Cleveland Browns with the appointment of Kevin Stefanski. “With the new coach coming in, just seeing what he did with the Minnesota Vikings for a long time with (Adam) Thielen and (Stephon) Diggs,’’ Beckham told reporter Zach Frydenlund. 

“These are people who I’ve watched closely on their film, and just seeing the things that he did and meeting him and seeing where his mind’s at for Jarvis (Landry) and myself of how this will all work out, I have a good feeling about it, you know?’’ he added.

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