Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has never been shy about his admiration for late NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
Jayson Tatum’s affinity for Kobe has led to him being turned into a meme, in fact, as his revelation that he texted Kobe saying “I got you today” before Game 7 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals.
The mockery he received as a result of that admittedly corny move clearly hasn’t deterred Tatum when it comes to paying tribute to Kobe, as the newly crowned NBA champion and highest-paid player in NBA history is rocking the same number that Kobe did for Team USA at the Olympics: 10.
“Nothing short of an honor to be able to represent this uniform and wear No. 10,” Tatum told reporters on Monday when he arrived at Team USA’s training camp.
“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.”
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
In addition to Tatum, the Team USA roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics includes Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James, and Kawhi Leonard.
Team USA’s first Olympics game will be a matchup against Serbia in the group stage on July 28 at 11:15 a.m. EST. On July 31 they’ll take on Sotuh Sudan followed by Puerto Rico on August 3.
Be the first to comment