Jayson Tatum has made no secret of his love for Kobe Bryant, but now it appears that Tatum may have emulated Bryant in a very unintentional way.
A wild video went viral over social media this week showing an eerie coincidence between the Boston Celtics star Tatum and the late Los Angeles Lakers icon Bryant. Earlier this week, Tatum suffered a torn Achilles tendon during a playoff game against the New York Knicks.
X user Jason Good pointed out that Tatum’s Achilles tear took place at the 3:08 mark in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Bryant, who infamously tore his own Achilles during a game in Apr. 2013, also did so at around the 3:08 mark of the fourth quarter.
Kobe tore is achilles with 3:08 left in the 4th
— Jason Good (@jasonmgood) May 16, 2025
Tatum tore his Achilles with 3:08 left in the 4th pic.twitter.com/5FTmV14RvG
The comparison is not entirely perfect as Bryant went down about a second or two ahead of the 3:08 mark (though 3:08 was when the clock stopped after the whistle blew). Additionally, Bryant tore his left Achilles while Tatum tore his right Achilles.
Nevertheless though, that is a pretty crazy coincidence, especially considering that Tatum has been very open about how he idolized Bryant. Tatum has said many times that he grew up as a Bryant fan, and he even spent time training with Bryant once he made it to the NBA in 2017. Notably, Tatum also texted Bryant’s phone before a big-time 2022 playoff game (after Bryant’s death in a 2020 helicopter crash).
When it comes to the Achilles though, Tatum, 27, is at least far younger than Bryant was when he tore his at 34. While Tatum is likely to miss most of the 2025-26 season as well, Bryant will undoubtedly be on his mind as he approaches his lengthy rehab and recovery process.
