Lakers: Jayson Tatum Custom Wears Shoes in Homage to Kobe Bryant During Playoffs

Jayson Tatum wore a pair of Kobe Bryant kicks with an inspirational quote from the Lakers from the late Hall-of-Famer.

Kobe Bryant is one of the seminal figures in NBA history. His thirst for greatness and his competitive drive inspired legions of basketballs players past and present. Including, Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum.

Kobe famously worked with Tatum on his game from time to time and imparted some of his vast NBA knowledge to the young Boston swingman. 

In Game 4 of the Celtics series against the Nets on Monday, Tatum rocked a pair of Mamba-skinned Kobe shoes that included a very inspirational statement Kobe had uttered to the Celtics star.

Other shoe: “Keep it rollin’” pic.twitter.com/ozFuTefe8e

— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) April 25, 2022

"How much does it mean to you?" appears on the back of one of the shoes in golden colored script. The other tab holds the message, "Keep it rollin'".

The fact that a Boston Celtics player would wear a custom shoes with purple and gold accents during a playoff game just speaks to how Kobe Bryant inspired the younger generation during his playing days.

Tatum wasn't shy about the tribute either. The wingman also posted a photo on his Instagram story of him lacing up the shoes prior the Boston's Game 4. 

In fact, Tatum's profile picture is him mirroring the famous photo of Bryant laying on the court with a basketball behind his head. 

This wasn't the first tribute to Kobe either for Tatum. During the Tokyo Olympics, the All-NBA forward wore Kobe's number 10 jersey to honor the Lakers legend.

All that advice from Kobe appears to be paying off. Tatum led the way for the Celtics in a sweep of Kevin Durant's Brooklyn Nets.