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| Jason Tatum. Getty |
There are so many questions that Jayson Tatum wishes he could have asked Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant before he, his daughter Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter accident four years ago Friday. And since Bryant’s death, the Boston Celtics star forward hasn’t been shy about reaching out to a mentor like NBA star LeBron James to acquire as much knowledge as possible.
“It is bittersweet. I can’t believe that he’s not here anymore. And the thing that I regret is I wish I would’ve called him more. I wish I would’ve texted him more,” Tatum told Andscape. “I just always thought he was so busy. I never wanted to bother him. We knew each other. He told me to text him, call him anytime. But I was almost scared. I can only imagine all the things he has going on. I don’t want to bother him. And obviously after what happened, I wish I would’ve reached out more. I had so many questions I wanted to know the answers to. I should have called him more and it taught me a lesson.
“Now I don’t hold back with older guys in the league now, like ’Bron. ’Bron is somebody that I text and call a lot, and it could be from basketball to how to take care of your body to business decisions off the court. People are willing to give you answers, you just have to ask.”
The following is a Q&A with Tatum in a promotional interview courtesy of Ruffles in which he reflects more about Bryant, his drive to win his first NBA title with the Celtics, becoming an NBA All-Star for the fifth time, hoping his teammates can join him in Indianapolis, returning to the Olympics and more.
While it’s been four years since Kobe’s passing, what kind of impact does he have and will continue to have all over the world?
The impact that he had on so many people around the world is so evident even to this day. Even for me, a kid that grew up thousands of miles away from L.A. that watched him play, watched his interviews and his workouts and just wanted to steal so much of his game and his personality and his mindset from him. And it is just cool how somebody so far away can have such impact on me and really is a huge reason why I am who I am today and why I made it this far.
And once I got to the league to be able to develop a relationship with him and get to know him somewhat of a personal level, he was my idol growing up. So, I always honor him when I can.
Of all the things that Kobe told you, what sticks with you the most today?
His mindset. He asked me, ‘How much would it mean to you to win a championship or be the best player that you can possibly be? What are you truly willing to sacrifice to be that, whether that’s being a good friend or being a good family member or sacrificing free time? Are you using this small window of time to maximize your abilities? How much does that really mean to you?’
You have made one trip to the NBA Finals in 2022 but fell short. What would it mean to you to get one of those NBA championships like the five Kobe has?
It would mean everything, right? This is my seventh year in the league and four conference finals and one Finals appearance, like you said. That’s the thing. That’s the only thing I really haven’t done and being so close and knowing how hard it is to get to that point and not getting over that hump. So, it is overdue. It is long overdue, but I got a good feeling about
- Marc J. Spears
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