Celtics' Jayson Tatum's relationship with Kobe Bryant comes into focus after torn Achilles

Jayson Tatum has been open for his entire basketball career about the way he idolizes the late, great Kobe Bryant.

And now, after the worst news of Tatum's career, that admiration comes into focus more than ever.

Tatum got the confirmed news Tuesday that he tore his right Achilles tendon the night before in a playoff game against the Knicks.

It's not a supremely common NBA injury, but it's one Bryant himself had.

Kobe's came later in his career, in 2013 when he was 34 years old.

Tatum, 27, conceptually has much more of his prime left.

MORE: Celtics make official announcement on Jayson Tatum injury

Kobe was never quite the same player, although he did have that legendary 60-point game three years and a day after the horrific injury.

There's a photo from when Tatum was a kid, him in a Lakers jersey posing for a picture with Bryant himself.

"When I got to the NBA, he did an episode of (ESPN Detail) in the playoffs," Tatum said recently. "After that, we connected. I got to pick his brain, I met with him, I worked out with him. He was a big help to me."

Tatum shared some advice he got from Kobe when he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel's show.

"I was a kid in St. Louis growing up, and the person that inspired me to chase my dream and go and be as great as I can was 3,000 miles away, and 15 years later, he was a mentor and we got to talk," Tatum said.

Tatum continued: "The first time we worked out, he asked me a question: 'How much does it mean to you?' That was such a powerful thing."

Tatum has a tattoo of Bryant's No. 24, arranged as two Black Mamba snakes, on his arm. He got the tattoo after Bryant's tragic passing.

Now, the pair is linked in a sad way, with the worst injuries each suffered as an NBA player.

Given Tatum's affinity for Bryant, he surely recognizes the overlap. And now it's up to the Celtics star to keep embracing the Mamba Mentality to get back on the court.

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