Jayson Tatum Quotes

I don't want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.

I grew up watching Dr. J, and I was like, 'Oh my God, this guy is the greatest basketball player I ever saw.'

I grew up being a Kobe fan, of course.

I don't want to see Kobe Bryant ever leave. If he was 100 years old and still playing, I'd be happy.

Kobe can play in any league.

LeBron James has always been the biggest one - I just love to watch him. I'm a big fan, and he's a big inspiration of mine.

In my head, I'm a big Kobe fan.

Oh, I think, watching Magic, him being one of my... I'm one of his biggest fans, and just trying to emulate what he did, going out on the playground, and also playing with older guys.

Me, growing up, I was a Kobe fan, Kobe fanatic, and just getting, just being able to just wear his shoes, it's my favorite shoe to play in.

I love LeBron, but Kobe was the first player I actually considered my favorite.

I had the Kobe jersey. I would do the Kobe walk. I would walk around the house doing the Kobe stare-down face. Anything you can name, I was idolizing him, trying to be like him.

My favorite player is Carmelo; that's just a guy I've been rocking with since he was at Syracuse. I've always been a big fan of Melo.

I love Kobe Bryant, was a Lakers fan for sure.

When I was, like, 4 or 5, I'd just always tell - my mom would ask me what I wanted to be when I got older. And I would just be like, 'I wanna be Kobe.' She'd be like, 'You wanna be in the NBA?' 'No, like, I wanna be Kobe.'

Huge Kobe fan growing up. My dog's name is Kobe.

All I used to want to do was shoot fadeaways like Kobe because he was my favorite player.

Hopefully, one day, I'll be up there with Michael Jordan.

I didn't grow up admiring anybody but George Gervin, and I didn't get a chance to play against him. That would've been one of my lifetime accomplishments. I probably would've went crazy if I played against him, because he's like a father to me now.

I've been watching Kobe ever since I can remember.

I don't want to be Kobe, I want to be LeBron.

Larry Bird is like a basketball god to me for what he's done for my career.

Basketball gave me an avenue to live my dream, and I just want to help other kids live their dreams through me.

At 7, I was shooting 3s with so much ease that the guys at the neighborhood park were impressed. Michael Jordan was one of the best humans to walk the earth in my eyes, third only to Jesus and my mother.

Part of the reason why Kobe Bryant is such a big inspiration to me is because he was shipped off to the Lakers right out of high school. He went from English class to the Great Western Forum.

You can't have a greater person to emulate your game around than Scottie Pippen.