TAMPA, Fla. — Jett Washington spent most of his early years playing flag football and watching the Los Angeles Lakers on TV from his home in Las Vegas.
But occasionally, Washington’s mother would get Lakers tickets from her younger brother, and they would make the short trip to watch his favorite team in person.
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You might remember Washington’s uncle: the late, great Kobe Bryant.
“He always made me feel special when I was with him,” said Washington, who at 16 has grown into a talented two-sport athlete at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.
“Sometimes I feel a little bit of pressure (being his nephew), but my parents make sure I don’t feel it too much. They tell me to just go out there and have fun, don’t try to overthink and just play. My uncle was a great player. At the same time, I know he wanted me to make my own name. He laid the foundation for me. I’m just grateful.”
It’s been more than four years since Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others died in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. Washington was in Orlando, Fla., playing in the NFL Flag Football Championships when he got word his uncle and cousin had perished. He immediately flew home to be with his mother, Sharia, Kobe’s oldest sister.
Washington wore Bryant’s old jersey No. 24 at the OT7 Championships in Tampa a few weeks ago. Washington’s team, Lo-Pro, lost in the semifinals to a team led by Class of 2025 Notre Dame quarterback commitment Deuce Knight.
Washington grew up playing basketball and flag football and didn’t play tackle football until he got a little older. He started dunking when he was in the eighth grade. It was when he turned 12, Washington said, that he started thinking he might be good enough to be a pro in either sport.
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He led Bishop Gorman’s basketball team last season as a sophomore to a 24-5 record and the Class 5A state championship in Nevada, averaging 14 points and eight rebounds per game. He scored 33 points in a loss when Gorman played at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles in January — the same building where his uncle’s retired jerseys hang.
For now, Washington doesn’t have any basketball offers.
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Notre Dame and Oregon sit at the top of his list of suitors in football. UCLA and Texas A&M are next. Alabama and Ohio State haven’t offered yet, but he talks to their coaches regularly. USC, his dream school, is one program he’s eagerly waiting to hear from.
“Jett likes Notre Dame and Oregon because of their history, especially Notre Dame,” Washington’s father, Jerrod, said after he watched his son play in the OT7 Tournament. “Notre Dame had (NFL All-Pro safety) Kyle Hamilton a couple years ago. They know how to work a 6-4 safety.”
As a football player, Washington is ranked No. 69 nationally in the 2026 cycle in the 247Sports Composite. He’s listed as an athlete, and some scouts believe he’ll outgrow the safety position and will eventually become a receiver. He’s 6-foot-4, 180 pounds and still growing.
“He’s a fascinating athlete,” said John Garcia Jr., a national recruiting analyst for Rivals, which ranks Washington No. 172 nationally. “At that body type, you can see him going in so many different directions, especially since he’s not only young, but young to the sport. He looked really good at safety. He played some receiver later in the tournament and it looked pretty natural. The jury is still out on what he’ll be at the next level. He could be an outside linebacker, tight end, receiver or even one of these hybrids.
“Teams are using monster backs that are jumbo nickels who can run with big receivers and tight ends. I actually think his instincts are his strength. He didn’t allow many big plays down the field in pass coverage. Those ball skills are something I didn’t necessarily expect to see.”
247Sports ranks Washington No. 25 in the class, the highest among all four major scouting services.
“It’s still very early in the cycle, but he’s the type of athlete that we’re going to bet on at this stage,” said Andrew Ivins, 247Sports’ national recruiting analyst. “Initially, he was kind of viewed as a wide receiver projection for us, but he played primarily safety as a sophomore and made an impact on the backend at one of the nation’s more talent-rich programs as he flashed impressive read-and-react ability to go along with plenty of range.
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“Then you dig into the data, and you get even more excited about his potential. Not many with his frame can move the way he does when it comes to changing directions. I think one of the biggest questions over the next few years will have to do with where he fits in. Is he an oversized safety or a speed-and-space linebacker?”
As a sophomore, Washington recorded 37 tackles and tied for the team lead with two interceptions. Bishop Gorman went 12-0, won the state title and finished No. 1 in MaxPreps’ national rankings.
“My goal right now is to make the NFL as a safety,” Washington said. “But if I grow any taller, I’ll probably move to receiver. I kind of fell in love with safety because I like being able to make my own plays and not have to depend on a quarterback throwing it to you or your (offensive) line blocking. But I could play receiver, too. Right now, I’m a DB.”
Washington’s father played running back at Virginia in the early 1990s. He led a 7-5 Cavaliers squad in rushing as a senior in 1993 with 871 yards and five touchdowns. Washington’s mother was a volleyball player at Temple.
“He got some of his athleticism from me, but he got his hops from his mom. She’s 5-10 and can dunk a tennis ball,” Jerrod Washington said.
“With basketball, it’s one of those things where Jett’s a playmaker. He can make more plays because the ball is in his hands constantly. Playing football, he likes safety a little bit more because he can make more plays. Which one is he better at? It’s tough, but I think football has more of an edge right now only because last year was his first full year of varsity basketball. Eventually, he’ll have to make a decision. But some colleges have told him they’ll let him play both if he wants.”
Washington said his son grew up playing basketball with Kobe and his daughter, Gigi, whenever the family would visit L.A. Jett and Gigi were a year apart in age and very close. Washington wears No. 2 — Gigi’s old number — on the basketball court.
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He said he wears No. 5 on the football field to set himself apart.
“Jett was Kobe’s guy,” Washington’s father said. “Remember, he had four girls. 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.”
Jett clearly gets his athleticism from his family. But about that name?
“Funny story, but that’s what John Travolta named his son and I loved it,” Jerrod Washington said. “I thought it would be really cool in sports or business.”
Remember the name, Jett Washington.
He’s just getting started.
(Photo: Manny Navarro / The Athletic)