Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is one of the few youngsters who had the privilege of training with Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
In an recent interview with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the “All the Smoke” podcast, Tatum shared how starstruck he was to be with Bryant when they worked out together.
“I was like a kid in a candy store,” Tatum said. “I kept talking to myself like, ‘I’m working out with Kobe.’ I couldn’t believe it at the time.”
The Lakers superstar invited Tatum to work out with him in Los Angeles following the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals. Although Tatum was just a rookie during the Celtics’ deep run in 2018, he appeared to impress Bryant enough to garner a workout.
The forward also delved into what it was like to train with Bryant.
“A lot of attention to detail,” Tatum recounted. “It wasn’t really anything that I couldn’t do. It was a bunch of moves that he’d seen me do and that he did. It was all little things to think about. That’s what I really took from it, the little things that he would think about that I never really heard anyone else in how they approach the game.”
Tatum, 22, really benefited from those workouts with the five-time champion.
Now, the Celtics rising star is among the best players in the league. He is having a breakout 2019-20 campaign.
On the season, Tatum is posting career-highs across the board. The 6-foot-8 forward is putting up 23.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game this season.
Bryant, who passed away in a tragic helicopter accident in January, continues to be an icon of inspiration for the league’s younger generation.
The 2008 MVP finished his career with averages of 25.0 points, 5.2 boards and 4.7 assists per game.
