Jayson Tatum says he’s honored to wear Kobe Bryant’s number 10 for Team USA, don’t take it lightly

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LAS VEGAS – Jayson Tatum was 15 when he made his first American national basketball team. It was in 2013, when he was selected to compete in the FIBA ​​Americas U-16 Championships in Uruguay. And one of the greatest sensations of this experience was to get his jersey.

He wore number 10.

Kobe Bryant’s number. The number of Tatum’s favorite player.

Bryant wore the numbers 24 and 8 with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he donned the number 10 for USA Basketball when he helped the Americans win gold at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Tatum wore it. number a number of times for U.S. teams since – and will take it to the Tokyo Olympics, where the Americans will aim to win a fourth straight gold medal.

“This is the first Olympics since we lost it, it has even more value,” Tatum said. “It’s not something I take lightly.”

The No.10 jersey has significance in all sports, especially football, where it always seems to adorn the best players. Pelé wore 10 for Brazil. Diego Maradona wore it for Argentina, and Lionel Messi is doing it now. Landon Donovan wore it for the US men’s soccer team when he led that program; it has since been passed on to Christian Pulisic. For the American women’s football team, it belongs to Carli Lloyd.

Tatum wears the number 0 for the Boston Celtics. The Celtics retired No.10 for JoJo White.

For USA Basketball, No.10 was Bryant’s. When he decided not to compete in the 2016 Olympics, the number ended up with Kyrie Irving – another player who idolizes Bryant, just like Tatum. And now, as it did when the United States went to the Basketball World Cup two years ago, the jersey is Tatum’s.

“For JT to have this moment, I’m really happy for him,” said US center Bam Adebayo. “I’ve known JT since I was 12. He deserves everything he gets and he’s going to continue to deserve more because he’s such a great player. I’m happy for him. He’s his idol, and he has to represent that number. I know he’s going to have that Mamba mentality when he puts that 10. “

“This is the first Olympics since we lost it, it has a lot more value. It’s not something I take lightly.”

Jayson Tatum, wearing the No. 10 for the American team

Adebayo is another player who does not hide his affinity for Bryant, the five-time NBA champion and devoted to the Basketball Hall of Fame, who died in a helicopter crash with one of his daughters and seven other people in January 2020 then. that they were on their way to a basketball tournament. He wore Bryant’s shoes to games and said he was devastated never to have met him.

Tatum knew Bryant well. They worked together and Bryant offered her advice on several occasions.

“I remember a conversation, maybe it was after a game, and he was saying a lot of people won’t understand what you’re doing,” Tatum said. He said, ‘What I mean by that is that those who really want to be big and really special really take that mentality all it takes. “He told me it took some sacrifice, because the ultimate question is how much are you willing to give up in order to be awesome.”

The American coach Gregg Popovich still deplores that Tatum was injured during this World Cup in China. This team was built to make Tatum, as Popovich put it, “the go-to guy” – just like Bryant had been for former American teams. When Tatum was ruled out of the World Cup with an ankle injury, the Americans broke down and finished seventh.

Popovich said Tatum is even better now.

“He’s become more of a two-way street player,” said Popovich. “He’s a lot more confident. He’s developed more skills. On top of that, he’s more aggressive and knows he can dominate people.”

People would say the same about Bryant.

“I remember that first team when I was hoping, hoping to get the No.10,” Tatum said. “Kobe, everyone knows he was my favorite player. I was 15 and had to wear my favorite player’s number. I felt like I had some level of connection with him.”

The connection continues this summer. He doesn’t remember whether he had to ask for the jersey in 2013; this summer he didn’t have to ask anyone. USA Basketball simply released a list of names and jersey numbers, and Tatum got No. 10.

For now, this is Tatum’s jersey.

For him, it still belongs to Bryant.

“It’s a huge honor,” Tatum said. “And I will wear it proudly.”

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