Kobe Bryant’s nephew commits to Big Ten football team

The nephew of an NBA legend has committed to play football at Oregon.

Jett Washington, who is Kobe Bryant’s nephew, announced on Thursday that he has committed to Oregon. Washington is a 5-star safety recruit who is ranked the No. 18 overall prospect in the Class of 2026 by 247Sports.

Washington chose Oregon over USC and Alabama. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound defensive back currently plays at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nev. He had 38 tackles and 5 interceptions as a junior.

Washington also plays basketball at Bishop Gorman and helped lead the school to a second consecutive Nevada Class 5A state basketball title earlier this year, according to the New York Post.

Bryant’s oldest sister, Sharia Washington, is Jett’s mother. His father, Jerrod Washington, was a running back at Virginia and was drafted by the New England Patriots in 1994.

Jerrod said in an interview last year that Jett was close with both Kobe and Kobe’s daughter Gianna, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020.

“Jett was Kobe’s guy,” Jerrod Washington said. “Kobe used to tell me, ‘I need him every summer to come work with me.’ He would give Jett words of wisdom. Anytime Jett would play in something, he’d send his uncle a clip, and Kobe would make a comment. Kobe would send him back emojis or tell him to make this adjustment or that adjustment. They were close.”

Washington is now Oregon head coach Dan Lanning’s top-ranked defensive commit for the Class of 2026.