Super Bowl 2020: 49ers' Richard Sherman arrives in Kobe Bryant jersey

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A week after Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash, 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman paid homage to the Los Angeles Lakers legend ahead of Super Bowl LIV. 

Sherman wore one of Bryant's All-Star Game jerseys as he arrived at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla. on Sunday, hours before the 49ers played the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Sherman, a Compton native, said Monday that Bryant "was a friend of mine" and "a mentor." The veteran cornerback said Bryant walking off the court -- after nailing two free throws -- with a torn Achilles in 2013 inspired him to walk off the field when he sustained the same injury in November 2017 while playing for the Seattle Seahawks. 

“He would tell me to stop being a baby, and man up and play it and do it in his honor and win this game for him,” Sherman said Monday, after revealing to reporters he was still processing Bryant's death. “And that’s what we’re going to try to do. We’re going to try to go out there and play some dominating ball, just like he wanted.

"The Mamba mentality lives on.”

[RELATED: How to watch 49ers-Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV online, on TV]

Sherman further tributed Bryant on FOX Sports' pre-game broadcast ahead of Super Bowl LIV. The 31-year-old read a poem called "Dear Football," inspired by Bryant's Oscar-winning "Dear Basketball."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters in Miami on Wednesday that the NFL will honor Bryant during the game, while halftime performers Jennifer Lopez and Shakira said they will, too. 

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