“It’s nothing short of an honor to be able to represent this uniform and wear #10.” That’s how Jayson Tatum described his feelings for donning the same jersey as the late Kobe Bryant. He has multiple times said about the influence that Kobe has had on him since he was a kid. And on multiple occasions, he has given tribute to his idol even when he got trolled for the same.

The Boston Celtics star appeared on the weekly show of Carmelo Anthony and The Kid Mero. The 26-year-old spoke about Kobe Bryant’s impact and how his idol had helped him. He gravitated toward the Lakers and Kobe Bryant because there was no NBA team in St. Louis. Thus, making it to the league and forming the connection was special for him. And now he shares his only regret that has stayed since Kobe passed away.

“The only thing that I really regret that and I know it was a tragic incident but like and you can attest to this. Like I was such a fan and he reached out to me and we worked out a couple times. And he was like ‘Yo if you never ever need something hit me.’But I was like man I can’t just call him like bro, he might be busy, or like I don’t want to bother him,” Tatum said, via the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast.

“And it’s like man and it’s a tragic incident but after that happened I was like damn I wish I would text him, I wish I would have called him I wish I would have followed up.” JT said he had learned the lesson now and he now reaches out to his other mentors including Michael Jordan.

Tatum said he would reach out to Carmelo Anthony who also is a fellow Jordan brand athlete. Plus, his current running mates in the US Olympics squad are Kevin Durant and LeBron James. He doesn’t hold back from reaching out to them. Just like he doesn’t hold back showing his love for Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant has been the role model for Tatum

Notably, when the 26-year-old clicked a picture with the trophy leaning on the wall, it immediately triggered a call back to Kobe’s iconic locker room pose with the trophy. Before winning the trophy, in game 1 of the finals, JT honored his idol. Donning a white Celtics shirt, very similar to the one Kobe wore during his tryout for the Celtics before he got drafted in 1996, Tatum channeled his inner Mamba Mentality to help him get ready for the big moment.

He wore the #24 armband in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 inspired by the legend and took the team to NBA Finals. And Tatum once again followed in his footsteps after the latest announcement from the NBA 2k series. Last year, Kobe Bryant was the cover star for BLACK MAMBA Edition and Kobe Bryant Edition.

This year Jayson Tatum is the solo cover star for the NBA 2k25 Standard Edition. Plus, alongside is the WNBA champion of the Las Vegas Aces A’ja Wilson for the All-Star Edition. Even though some people might criticize JT for honoring Kobe Bryant in his way. Tatum always felt Kobe was his WHY and his role model growing up. So, he would always continue to honor his legacy.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.