LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Bishop Gorman is no stranger to winning. The Nevada football power regularly rattles off state championships, and is ranked among the best high school football teams in the country.
For one of the Gaels' star players this season, winning is in the genes.
WATCH | Meet Jett Washington
"Be grateful for the foundation he set for me and my family," 5-star safety Jett Washington told Channel 13's Nick Walters. "Just wanting to continue that legacy every single day."
A converted wide receiver standing at 6'5" and starring in both football and basketball, Washington has an uncle you may have heard of — NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
"It's something I just try to embrace, not try to run from," Washington said. "Everybody kind of knows the fact now, so just really wanting to represent that each day... embrace that legacy."
A Las Vegas native now bound for Eugene as an Oregon football commit, the nephew of the 5-time NBA champion is mirroring the 'Mamba mentality' as a rising senior.
"He's super competitive," Gorman head coach Brent Browner said. "You can see he always wants to be great in everything he does. It's a perfect thing to have as a coach."
"Hard work and grit and then just that mentality that nobody's gonna be better than me," Washington said. "That mentality that he brought every single day, every time he stepped on the court, and just being a great human being."
Considered a football factory, Gorman has produced big-name recruits with standout family ties. Washington is the next in line leading a Gaels team that has won the last four 5A state championships.
Nowadays in the NIL era, many touted football prospects choose to specialize. Given basketball runs in the blood, it only made sense for Washington to continue playing hoops in high school.
As a junior, Washington helped lead Gorman to repeats as state champions on the gridiron and on the hardwood.
"That was something I loved ever since I was a young kid," Washington explained. "Why stop it if I could play both for as long as I possibly can? Let's do it because it was a game I enjoyed and grew up watching."
One of the most coveted prospects in the 2026 recruiting class, Washington has offers from schools around the country and is rated by 247Sports as the top recruit in Nevada.
The rangy safety picked off five passes and prides himself on flying across the field, describing himself as "a ball-hawking safety that can play all over the field and make plays at any time."
His future is bright even though his height is unconventional at his defensive back position.
"I like my fit (at safety)," Washington said. "A lot of people say I'm too tall. They're trying to move me around, but I feel like as long as I can move and do my job I see myself as a unique piece that can fit into any defense and play all the positions."
Gorman kicks off their season Friday night at Centennial to begin their chase for a 5A state championship five-peat.
-
Parker Wotherspoon embraces fresh start with VGK after breakout NHL season
Parker Wotherspoon joins the Vegas Golden Knights after a breakout season in Pittsburgh, bringing lessons from Erik Karlsson and a career shaped by patience and resilience.
Bullring reopening honors Busch family, Las Vegas racing roots
While the Las Vegas racing community is celebrating the reopening of The Bullring, they're also honoring the Busch family and how they've contributed to the local motorsports scene.
Parker Wotherspoon embraces fresh start with Golden Knights after breakout NHL season
The 29-year-old defenseman played 80 games with Pittsburgh last season and says he’s excited to join a Golden Knights team built to contend.
Congress pushes legislation to regulate pay-to-play era of college athletics
The Senate has cleared a major procedural hurdle on the bipartisan "Protect College Sports Act," a measure supporters say would create guardrails for the new era of pay-to-play college athletics.
