During Boston’s Game 7 win in the Eastern Conference Finals in Miami, you may have taken note of a few things besides the final score.
Perhaps the many players, such as Robert Williams and Tyler Herro playing through injuries struggling to make it up and down the court. Maybe you took note of the many celebrities in attendance at American Airlines Arena. Or possibly your focus was more on the stylistic nuances of the game — PJ Tucker’s shoes, Marcus Smart’s green hair, etc.
One specific thing that surely caught everyone’s attention was Jayson Tatum’s purple armband that he sported around his left elbow. The purple band had a gold “24” stitched into it, quite obviously a nod to the late, great Kobe Bryant.
Tatum spoke about the significance of the band following the game and why it was important for him to wear it in the biggest moment of his basketball career.
“That was my idol. That was my inspiration. That was my favorite player. I wanted to wear that armband to honor him and kind of share that moment.”
As noted in the above video and several other instances throughout his playing career, Tatum hasn’t been shy about voicing his love and admiration for Kobe, his favorite basketball player ever. The gesture wasn’t just a “make me like Kobe” moment. Tatum’s worship and appreciation of Bryant goes far beyond that.
The connection between the two actually began when Bryant featured Tatum in one of his episodes of “Detail,” a video series on ESPN of Kobe breaking down film of basketball games from his lens, offering advice and suggestions along the way.
According to Tatum, Bryant got in touch with the then 20-year-old emerging star and offered him a chance to work out with him during the offseason in Los Angeles. The offer was accepted, the two formed a relationship and the rest is history.
Now at 24 years of age, Tatum is getting ready to step onto the biggest stage of his basketball life when his Boston Celtics, whose players have zero combined NBA Finals experience, get ready for a best-of-seven series with the Golden State Warriors, perhaps this era’s most remarkable dynasty.
Will the moment be too big for Tatum to lead the young Celtics to the mountaintop? Time will tell, but there’s no questioning whether or not Bryant’s influence will drive and motivate the Celtics’ superstar throughout the journey.
