Even though he is a member of the hated Boston Celtics, it is very well known that Jayson Tatum grew up idolizing Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Tatum was even fortunate enough to work and train with Kobe before his untimely passing.
Tatum is also a part of the 2024 Men’s Olympic Basketball Team heading to Paris for the Summer Olympics. Some are calling this the most talented team ever put together with Tatum joining Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis as well as the likes of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and Anthony Edwards, amongst others.
Tatum has taken on the jersey No. 10, which, of course, was worn by Kobe in his Olympic appearances. And Tatum fully embraces wearing the same number as Bryant, calling it an honor and adding that it is something he doesn’t take lightly, via Arash Markazi of Sporting Tribune:
“It’s nothing short of an honor to be able to represent this uniform and wear number 10. For everybody that remotely knows me, knows how much influence he had on me as a kid and inspired me to reach my goals. It’s definitely something I don’t take for granted or take lightly.”
Anything having to do with Bryant is going to be of the utmost importance for Tatum. It isn’t often that someone gets to take the lessons taught to them by their idol and really put them into practice, but Tatum again has the opportunity to do that on the biggest international stage.
Kobe famously was that last piece to really take the 2008 Redeem Team to the next level and get the rest of the stars on board. Players such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul got to witness firsthand the work ethic possessed by the Lakers’ icon and he would ultimately come up clutch for Team USA in the Gold Medal game against Spain.
Whether Tatum will be able to come up with similar moments as Kobe on a team this loaded remains to be seen, but there is no doubt he will do everything in his power to do his idol proud in that 10 jersey.
Paul George to wear No. 8 with Sixers to pay homage to Lakers legend Kobe Bryant
Plenty of players in today’s game grew up watching and idolizing Kobe Bryant and one of those is Paul George. The wing recently signed with the Philadelphia 76ers and his jersey number with his new team is honor of the Lakers icon.
George spoke on this, saying that being in Philadelphia, where Kobe played his high school ball, and growing up as such a huge fan, made the choice easy for him to wear No. 8 on his new team.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
