Jayson Tatum grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant.
The Boston Celtics rookie has admitted he didn’t just want to play like Bryant, he, in fact, wanted to be the Los Angeles Lakers legend.
Tatum, who has the same silky smooth midrange jumper and impeccable footwork that made the Black Mamba one of the NBA’s most dynamic scorers, trained with his idol this summer. Between sharpening his offensive arsenal and what probably was some in-depth conversation about mental fortitude, Bryant offered a bit of advice to the young star.
“Shoot every time,” Tatum recalled to GQ. “Pass if you have to. But if not, shoot it.”
We would expect nothing less from Bryant. The five-time NBA champion was one of the most prolific scorers in league history but had a penchant for trying to do everything himself if his teammates weren’t up to the challenge (see: Smush Parker).
Tatum burst onto the scene during his rookie year, helping lead the injury-ravaged Celtics to within a game of the NBA Finals. The Duke product undoubtedly will start taking more shots as he continues to get more comfortable at the pro level, but we don’t think he’ll be jacking up shots like the Black Mamba any time soon.
