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Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) reacts to allowing a layup by Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) during the second half of the Nuggets’ 99-90 win at the Pepsi Center on Sunday, January 1, 2012. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post (Photo By AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
via Getty
Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) reacts to allowing a layup by Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) during the second half of the Nuggets’ 99-90 win at the Pepsi Center on Sunday, January 1, 2012. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post (Photo By AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Kobe Bryant was arguably one of the best players to ever play the game of basketball. Playing for a Lakers’ franchise who have a rich history of players like Magic Johnson and Jerry West, the 18-year-old was coming in with pressure to perform.
After some major hiccups in the first two seasons of his career, Kobe prevailed. Mirroring one of the greatest of the game in Michael Jordan, Kobe became one of the best two-way guards in the league. Be it scoring at will or clamping down other team’s best guards, Kobe could do it all.
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Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) during the first half of game five in their NBA playoff game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 8, 2012. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post (Photo By AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Apart from his fabulous play, the ‘Black Mamba‘ was one of the most consistent players in the league and showed incredible resolve on the court. With a killer mentality, Bryant won people’s hearts with his performances on the court and his demeanor off of it.
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Jayson Tatum has an emotional tribute for Kobe Bryant
While the superstars in the 90s and the 2000s looked up to players like Michael Jordan, many modern-day superstars consider Kobe Bryant as their true idol and the one player they tried to model their game after.
Given how effective ‘Black Mamba’ was and how privy he was on the game’s basics, it is understandable why modern-day players love him. One of the young stars who considers Kobe an idol is Jayson Tatum.
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Jayson Tatum has a new 24 tattoo to honor Kobe 🙌
Mamba mentality.
(via @Samlimon_) pic.twitter.com/hMZ9KkhUXD
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 30, 2021
Tatum, who is coming off of a career-year, is one of the biggest fans of the Mamba. Bryant even worked out with the Celtics’ guard and even had some pointers for Tatum. To honor him, JT recently showed up for off-season training with a new tattoo.
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With the number 24 written, the tattoo features a Kobe-inspired ‘Mamba design.’ This is surely one of the best tributes of Kobe Bryant we have come across in a recent while.
Tatum now joins the likes of LeBron James, JR Smith, who have tattoos dedicated to Bryant and his legacy. Undoubtedly one of the best players of his generation, Kobe was an idol both on and off the court. He might be gone, but his legacy continues in the NBA.
