Jayson Tatum trained with Kobe Bryant and considered him a mentor, and now he is paying tribute to the late former Los Angeles Laker with a pet.
According to The Boston Globe’s Nicole Yang, Tatum is getting a French bulldog puppy and naming him “Bean.”
Jayson Tatum is getting a new puppy: a blue fawn French bulldog named Bean, after the late Kobe Bryant. The breeder, Humble Breed Bullies in Philly, says Bean is 4 weeks old and will be driven to Boston once he is 8 weeks. @LilWeezyDog might have a new friend. pic.twitter.com/Xt8Zhdh9D0
— Nicole Yang (@nicolecyang) June 25, 2020
Bean was Kobe’s middle name and originated from his father Joe’s “Jellybean” nickname.
Tatum worked extensively with Kobe in 2018. There was some talk of Bryant having a negative influence on Tatum’s game after Tatum had a disappointing season last year, but the emerging forward bounced back with an excellent 2019-2020 season until the suspension.
Tatum, 22, is in his third season with the Celtics and made his first All-Star team this year.
