Jayson Tatum has been an enormous fan of Kobe Bryant. He still has the same level of adoration for the LA Lakers legend. The All-Star players of the Boston Celtics have even chosen to represent Team USA at the Olympics by donning the #10, exactly like Kobe did. And he gave a really moving explanation of what this means to him in a recent interview.
Kobe Bryant statue unveiled recently
Tatum first claimed that this was a great “honor” for him before acknowledging that everyone is aware of the profound impact Bryant has made on his life.
Jayson Tatum talks about Kobe Bryant
All he could say in the end was that he didn’t take this chance lightly. He said,
“Nothing short of an honor to be able to represent this uniform, wear no. 10. Anybody that remotely knows me knows how much influence that he had on me as a kid, inspired me to reach my goals, definitely isn’t something I’m taking for granted”
Jayson Tatum talks to me about the significance of wearing the same No. 10 for Team USA that Kobe Bryant wore. pic.twitter.com/X7jICGzobF
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) July 8, 2024
Being the proud owner of Kobe Bryant’s number is definitely an honor that most people dreamed of having. But the garment also carries the aspirations of a whole country.
It would be foolish to bet against him, given the extent to which a particular encounter he had with the Lakers great affected him.
