Jayson Tatum wears Kobe Bryant ‘24′ armband to honor Lakers legend on anniversary of tragic crash

Jayson Tatum paid tribute to Kobe Bryant on Thursday night three years after the Lakers legend died in a tragic helicopter crash. Tatum wore Bryant’s purple ‘24′ armband as the Celtics faced off with the Knicks at TD Garden.

It was not the first time that the 25-year-old has honored one of his idols in a Celtics uniform. Tatum also wore the same armband while leading the Celtics to a win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat last May, earning him the inaugural Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP award.

“Everybody knows how much he means to me,” Tatum said last year of the armband. “My idol and my favorite player. Just to have something to show him in the biggest game of my career so far. It worked out.”

Tatum was also officially voted an All-Star starter as the NBA revealed the top players in both conferences Thursday on TNT’s Around the NBA. It will be the fourth straight All-Star appearance for Tatum as a member of the Celtics and the third straight start in the game itself.

Tatum joins the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (captain) and the Nets’ Kevin Durant as representatives in the East frontcourt. The Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell and the Nets’ Kyrie Irving are the starting East guards.

The NBA All-Star Game MVP is now named after Bryant to honor his legacy.

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