- Austin Reaves says he had to buy LeBron James Xbox controller as one of his rookie duties on Lakers
- Tristan Thompson says he surprised LeBron James during Lakers workout: ‘I haven’t seen this since Cleveland’
- Draymond Green says the Lakers are a ‘serious threat’ in the Western Conference
- Report: Lakers downgrade D’Angelo Russell’s status for Friday’s matchup vs. Thunder
- Kendrick Perkins rips ‘borderline senior citizen’ Chris Paul for letting Austin Reaves drop 25 points on him
- Anthony Davis issues confident statement on Lakers playoff hopes: ‘You put anybody against us, I like our chances’
- Anthony Davis declares that he and LeBron James have ‘one of the best relationships’ among duos in the NBA
- Former teammate of Kobe and LeBron says Kobe was ‘like Mike’ while LeBron was more ‘happy-go-lucky’
- Report: LeBron James has resumed on-court activity for Lakers
- Monty Williams sounds off on free-throw disparity in Lakers-Suns game
Jayson Tatum discloses text message he sent Kobe Bryant before Game 7 of ECF: ‘I got you today’
- Updated: May 30, 2022
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum revealed that he sent the late Kobe Bryant a text message prior to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat on Sunday night.
Tatum led the Celtics to a victory in Game 7, and he kept the promise that he made to Bryant over text. Tatum idolized and trained with Bryant when the Los Angeles Lakers legend was still alive. Bryant tragically passed away in a helicopter accident in January of 2020.
View this post on Instagram
Bryant clearly had a major influence on Tatum as a basketball player and person, and the Celtics star rose to the challenge in Game 7 to take Boston back to the NBA Finals.
Tatum scored 26 points on 9-of-21 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc in Game 7. He also added 10 rebounds, six assists, one steal and two blocks. Tatum was named the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals for his play in the series.
In addition to texting Bryant before the game, Tatum wore a purple and gold armband with Bryant’s No. 24 on it.
Jayson Tatum wearing #24 Kobe arm band in Game 7 @jaytatum0 pic.twitter.com/Dkuruxq3yv
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 30, 2022
Bryant, a five-time champion with the Lakers, has left a lasting impact on the game and current generation of players.
Now, Tatum is looking to live up to the amazing career that his idol had by capturing the first NBA title of his career.
The Celtics will face the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry in the NBA Finals. Game 1 of the Finals is set to tip off on Thursday, June 2.