Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum didn’t hold back when addressing critics attempting to downplay Kobe Bryant’s legendary status in the NBA years after the tragic passing of the Los Angeles Lakers icon.
Appearing on The Pivot podcast, Tatum delivered a fiery defense of his childhood idol, calling out those who now question Bryant’s place among the all-time greats using modern analytics.
“I think it’s cowardly to be honest,” Tatum declared. “Because they didn’t speak about him like this when he was here.”
Tatum highlighted the shift in basketball discourse, where efficiency, shot profiles, and advanced metrics dominate discussions today. He pointed to Allen Iverson‘s MVP season, where AI averaged 29 shots per game, yet fans celebrated his competitiveness and toughness without the same scrutiny.
“But now that Kobe isn’t here, we want to bring up the times he wasn’t as efficient, or he shot long 2s, and now we want to get away from that and shoot more 3s,” Tatum continued. “If you ask anybody who played against him, they’ll all say he was the best in the league. He was the most terrifying person to guard, and he was one of the top-three most influential players of all time. Everybody loved, revered, respected him — even athletes from different sports. Now that he’s not here, you want to try and erase history?”
Tatum’s frustration echoes a broader debate in the NBA community. While Bryant’s career effective field goal percentage (.482) lags behind stars like LeBron James (.548), Kevin Durant (.555), and Stephen Curry (.582), critics have used these numbers to rank him lower in recent all-time lists. For instance, The Athletic placed Bryant fourth among the best players of the 21st century, behind James, Curry, and Tim Duncan. Bleacher Report ranked him No. 11 overall, a spot Shaquille O’Neal labeled “criminal.”
Yet Tatum emphasized Bryant’s on-court fear factor and defensive prowess — tied for first all-time in First Team All-Defensive selections (9) and second in total All-Defensive nods (12) — as evidence of his elite impact that numbers alone can’t capture.
Tatum’s passion stems from deep personal admiration. He credits Bryant as the reason he started playing basketball at age 4, modeling his game after the Black Mamba. As a kid, Tatum woke up at 5:30 a.m. to mimic Kobe’s legendary work ethic and mindset.
He’s not alone in pushing back against revisionist takes. Fellow Bryant admirer Kyrie Irving has similarly defended the legend, refusing to let analytics rewrite history.
“I’m not letting people revise history,” Irving said on a Twitch stream last year. “I’m not letting people come on and talk about Kobe like Kobe wasn’t one of the best that not only played, but that came in as a 17-year-old against grown men. And by the time this man was 22 years old, he had a few championships, and he was busting the best of the best’s a**.”
Tatum’s unfiltered takedown serves as a powerful reminder: while analytics shape today’s game, the eye test, peer respect, and sheer intimidation factor Kobe brought to the court remain undeniable parts of his enduring legacy. Haters beware — the Mamba’s influence isn’t fading anytime soon.