Jim Nantz closes AFC Championship broadcast by remembering Kobe Bryant’s death

Bet you didn’t have Jim Nantz closing the AFC Championship broadcast with a Kobe Bryant reference on your Bingo card.

Nantz and Tony Romo were on the call as Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs beat Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, advancing to their fifth Super Bowl in six years and will now attempt to do something that has never been done before in the NFL. A three-peat. And as Nantz highlighted their three-peat potential near the end of the AFC Championship broadcast, he also took some twists and turns to remember the late Kobe Bryant.

Jim Nantz gave Kobe Bryant a shoutout to close the AFC Championship Game broadcast pic.twitter.com/Jp5KmMf3Af

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 27, 2025

“Well, Tony. The last major sports league to see a three-peat was in the NBA,” Nantz said. “It was the Lakers of 2000, 2001, 2002 that completed a three-peat. Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant tragically passed away on January. 26th, 2020. Five years ago, today. Today.”

On that note, the broadcast came to a close, with Nantz then throwing CBS’s AFC Championship coverage to their postgame show before making his way down to the field to present Kansas City with the Lamar Hunt Trophy.

The final moment between Nantz and Romo in the booth for the 2024 NFL season was a Kobe Bryant reference. Certainly, unorthodox and probably unexpected, despite it being the fifth anniversary of Bryant’s death.

There’s no harm in remembering Bryant, who was one of the most recognizable sports personalities around the globe for decades. And many mourned his tragic death, along with the death of his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash five years ago.

There may not be a play-by-play voice with better timing than Nantz. To be clear, he connected Kansas City’s three-peat chase to the anniversary of Bryant’s death adequately. But the timing of this reference, coming as Nantz and Romo were signing off for the season, and the Chiefs were celebrating their AFC title victory, probably caught at least a few fans by surprise.