Manny Machado shows love for Kobe Bryant by switching to No. 8
By Cody Rivera
Manny Machado wanted to wear a new number with his new team, and he chose No. 8 in honor of NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
Los Angeles Dodgers fans were already excited enough about their team adding superstar infielder Manny Machado this past week. But now Machado is giving them even more reason to love him as he adjusts to his new life in Los Angeles.
With his new team, Machado decided to switch from his previous No. 13 worn with the Baltimore Orioles to No. 8, a change he decided to make in honor of one of his favorite NBA players, Kobe Bryant.
Bryant, a surefire Hall of Famer, a five-time NBA champion, and one of the greatest to ever play the game, spent his entire 20-year-career with the Los Angeles Lakers. In southern California, Bryant is pretty much considered a god in human form. He wore the No. 8 for the first half of his career before switching to No. 24 for the latter half, and both numbers are now retired from the Lakers and are hanging in the rafters of the Staples Center.
Even though Machado grew up all the way across the country in Miami, Florida and has always rooted for his hometown Miami Heat, he said that he has always been a huge Kobe fan, and he even has a dog named after him. So that was mainly what inspired to make the change to No. 8.
“I wanted to change up, new beginning, new journey, new team, so I wanted to go that route,” Machado said in his introductory press conference, according to USA Today. “And I have to throw an athlete out there. Huge Kobe fan growing up, dog’s name is Kobe, so that had a little bit to do with it as well, along with the new beginning.”
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When the Dodgers made the deal to acquire Machado, they did it with one goal in mind, and that was to get what they came so close to getting last year: a world championship. If Machado does end up helping the Dodgers win the 2018 World Series, then L.A. fans might have another beloved No. 8.