Nearly five years after his untimely passing, Kobe Bryant remains an inspiration to the basketball community. Most recently, new Sixers forward Paul George announced that he will wear No.8 in Philadelphia as a tribute to the Black Mamba.
Out in Las Vegas at the Dream Team practice sessions, Jayson Tatum is also honoring the late Lakers legend by donning Kobe's famous No.10 Team USA Jersey.
"Nothing short of an honor to be able to represent this uniform and wear No. 10," Tatum told reporters on Monday. " Anyone who remotely knows me knows how much influence that he had on me as a kid, inspiring me to reach my goals. It's definitely not something I take for granted or lightly."
He was a Lakers fan who idolized Bryant
It's no secret that Tatum grew up as a huge Kobe fan. But don't remind the Lakers because they infamously passed on drafting JT in the 2017 NBA Draft by taking Lonzo Ball. Going back, the Lakers were young Jayson's favorite team, and the Black Mamba was his childhood idol.
Jayson was the 2016 Gatorade National Boys Player of the Year when he first met The Black Mamba at the ESPYs. A year later, JT was drafted by the Celtics, and in the summer of 2018, the two began working out together.
"It was such a surreal moment for me just being in his presence and being able to work with him," Tatum said in 2020 via boston.com . "Even at that moment, all I could think about was he was the reason that I started playing basketball. To have him reach out and try to help me, want to work with me, is something I'll never forget."
Related: Kobe wanted to be drafted by his hometown 76ers: "I was hoping that, but at that time Iverson was such a force"
JT regretted not calling Kobe more
As Michael Jordan did with him, Bryant gave his phone number to a young Tatum and told him that he could text or call him anytime if he needed anything. However, unlike the Black Mamba, who pestered MJ with 2 a.m. calls, Jayson was too shy to text Kobe because he felt his idol was a very busy man. He later regretted that .
"I just always thought he was so busy. I never wanted to bother him. We knew each other. He told me to text him, call him anytime. But I was almost scared... And obviously, after what happened, I wish I would've reached out more. I had so many questions I wanted to know the answers to. I should have called him more, and it taught me a lesson," Tatum said .
Although the legendary guard is gone, Jayson still holds on to the memories. In the years since Kobe's passing, Tatum has paid tribute to his idol many times and in different ways. Like he did in the 2021 Olympics, JT is wearing his idol's number. Hopefully, the Celtics superstar will help the Americans reclaim the gold as Bryant did with the Redeem Team.
Related: "He deserves every freaking penny" - Stephen A. Smith defends Jayson Tatum after he signed the biggest deal in NBA history
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