The number of athletes that Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has impacted is immeasurable, whether that be in the basketball world or other sports.
One person who has idolizing Bryant for years is Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who was able to build a close relationship with the purple and gold great before his tragic passing in 2020.
Tatum has paid tribute to Bryant numerous times, and he has now done so again in a permanent manner.
The reigning NBA Champion is in the midst of a fantastic summer in which he won a title and a gold medal while also securing a contract extension. When choosing a new tattoo though, Tatum decided to get one of the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP trophy that he won in 2023, via Daniel Donabedian of Clutch Points:
Jayson Tatum adds some new ink of his All-Star Game MVP trophy, named after the late Kobe Bryant ? ?️
(Via @jaytatum0 Snapchat) pic.twitter.com/jFu3ssNYj1
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) August 23, 2024
After winning that trophy by scoring an All-Star Game record 55 points, Tatum spoke on what it meant at the time to be holding a trophy named after his idol Bryant, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“It’s extremely special to me,” Tatum, 24, said. “My first All-Star Game was in Chicago in 2020 when they renamed the MVP after him, and I remember telling myself that someday I got to get one of those.”
While the Lakers and Celtics will always be rivals, it’s cool to see Tatum always show so much respect and love to Bryant for everything he did to impact his game and life.
Jayson Tatum ‘honored’ to wear Kobe Bryant’s No. 10 USA jersey
While Jayson Tatum didn’t play much for Team USA during their gold medal run at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, he again got to wear the No. 10 jersey, which was Kobe Bryant’s during the 2008 and 2012 games.
Tatum recently spoke on how honored he felt to again be wearing the same jersey as Bryant.
“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.”
Like Bryant, Tatum now has two gold medals representing his country and could rack up another one when the Olympics come to Los Angeles in 2028.
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