Bill Belichick, Nick Saban Talk About What Kobe Bryant Taught Their Teams

Bill Belichick and Nick Saban are two of the best coaches in football history who have coached no shortage of elite and sometimes legendary players. So they know a thing or two about greatness.

That’s why it should come as no surprise that both coaches thought quite highly of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. A couple of days after Bryant’s tragic death in a helicopter crash, Belichick released a statement praising Bryant.

NFL Films on Tuesday night released a previously unseen clip from a recent HBO documentary spotlighting the friendship between Belichick and Saban. At some point in one of their conversations, Bryant came up, and both coaches spoke glowingly of the Lakers legend’s work ethic and competitiveness.

Bryant visited the Patriots back in 2018 during OTAs.

“Among Bryant’s talking points was the importance of training, and of studying other players, to his ability to play two decades in the NBA,” Albert Breer wrote for SI.com at the time. “The Patriots who were listening have another pretty good example of longevity in their own locker room, and they made the connection quickly.”