Inside The Celtics

Jayson Tatum Discusses Kobe Bryant's Motivating Message, His All-Time Top 7, and Dream Finals Opponent

If Jayson Tatum is to lead the Celtics to Banner 18, he has an ideal opponent he'd like to beat in the Finals.

Bobby Krivitsky

Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
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It's well-documented that Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum's favorite player growing up was Kobe Bryant.

The four-time All-Star has a tattoo running down the inside of his left knee of two black mamba snakes in the shape of the number 24, paying homage to the five-time NBA champion.

As he found his footing on basketball's highest level, Tatum got to work out with his idol and soak up pearls of wisdom from the 15-time All-NBA selection.

He was also the focus of an episode of 'Detail,' a production Bryant did for ESPN, breaking down players' games and offering challenges for what he wants to see next from them.

The two-time scoring champion highlighted how he wanted to see Tatum sharpen his angles coming off screens to create higher-quality shots. He also pointed out the need for him to sometimes move faster when curling off of a pick.

Bryant's advice was shaping the St. Louis native long before the Celtics made the former Duke Blue Devil the third overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft.

"Kobe spoke at a camp one time," Tatum told co-hosts Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner in a recent appearance on Point Forward the Podcast.

"I remember he said, 'I never had a plan B… Why would I not give all my time, energy, and effort to the thing I'm trying to accomplish?' And that resonated so much."

The trio dove into a wide range of topics, including Tatum's love for Boston.

The two-time All-NBA First Team selection also shared his top seven players in league history. He ranked them as follows.

1) Michael Jordan

2) LeBron James

3) Kobe Bryant

4) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

5) Magic Johnson

6) Stephen Curry

7) Shaquille O'Neal

Tatum also revealed the players he's most excited to battle against over the next 15 years.

The players he cited were Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, even though he expects to guard Kevin Durant when the Celtics play the Phoenix Suns, Ja Morant, and those in his draft class, specifically mentioning Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, and De'Aaron Fox.

And if he's to lead Boston to Banner 18, his ideal opponent would be a Finals rematch with the Golden State Warriors, referring to them as "the guy that beat you up."

Further Reading

Kristaps Porzingis AVAILABLE for Friday's Celtics-Knicks Game

Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Why He Chose Celtics, First Impressions in Boston: 'Perfect Scenario'

Tyrese Haliburton, Another Sloppy 3rd Qtr., Propel Pacers Past Celtics in In-Season Tournament

Joe Mazzulla Praises Payton Pritchard's Fourth-Quarter Performance in C's Win vs. 76ers

Celtics Share Their Perspective of NBA's Flawed but Successful In-Season Tournament

An Empowered Jaylen Brown Strives to Balance Scoring with Playmaking: 'I've Grown A Lot'

Celtics' Loss to Magic Highlights Their Most Concerning Traits

Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis Discuss Their Quickly Cultivated Chemistry: 'An Automatic Connection'

Joe Mazzulla Believes Celtics' Second Unit is 'Starting to Develop an Identity'

Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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