Oregon Ducks Mascot Sneakily Snaps Selfie with Kobe Bryant

Ah, the woes of forbidden fandom.

During his team's NCAA tournament matchup against Duke, the Oregon Ducks mascot, like so many others, desperately wanted to snap a selfie with soon-to-be-retired NBA superstar Kobe Bryant.

The problem? Bryant was seated in a sea of blue, showing support for his two-time Olympic coach, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski.

Although No. 24's clothing didn't indicate his allegiance, his preference was apparent in his encouraging gestures.

"

Special guest in the Duke section tonight! Thanks for coming @kobebryant! #GoDuke  pic.twitter.com/89Umn2bZLN

— Duke M. Basketball (@Duke_MBB) March 25, 2016"

Consequently, the Duck faced the dilemma of either suppressing his desire for a photo with the Black Mamba or procuring it via stealthy means. He chose the latter.

Cue Operation Incognito.

Rather than approach the Los Angeles Lakers legend, as Oklahoma's Buddy Hield did, the Duck opted for a longer-range tactic, capturing a minuscule version of the smiling Bryant.

Hey, it counts.

Fortunately for the Duck, his pond mates defeated the Blue Devils 82-68, making fraternization with the opposition somewhat less problematic.

Unless, of course, beneath that suit was a transplanted Boston Celtics fan. Then it would be very bad.

[Oregon Ducks, h/t For The Win]