Celtics' Jayson Tatum on Kobe Bryant vs. Michael Jordan

Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum just picked Michael Jordan over his idol, Kobe Bryant, in a recent rapid-fire segment.

Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum is a big fan of the late, great Kobe Bryant. As a matter of fact, one could argue that Tatum is one of Kobe's biggest supporters in all of the NBA today.

As it turns out, however, not even Tatum's affinity toward the Los Angeles Lakers icon is enough for him to pick Kobe over the GOAT himself, Michael Jordan. In a recent rapid fire segment, the Celtics star was faced with a handful of questions that required him to pick one of two options without any explanation. When presented with a Kobe vs. MJ query, Tatum barely hesitated:

Unfortunately, Tatum was not given a chance to explain his answer. I guess we'll never know why he decided to pick Jordan over Kobe on this particular occasion.

Tatum has been very vocal about how much he admires Kobe. These two had a special relationship before Bryant's untimely passing, and the Lakers legend served as a mentor for Tatum during his earlier years in the NBA.

During last season's Eastern Conference Finals series against the Miami Heat, Tatum turned to Kobe for inspiration before their pivotal Game 7 matchup. The Celtics star posted a screenshot of his text message to Bryant's old number that simply said, “I got you today.”

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You can also see in the above photos how Tatum wore a purple wrist band with Kobe's No. 24 during what — at that time — was the biggest game of the Celtics superstar's career. Tatum led his team to victory in Game 7, en route to booking their spot in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

There's no denying that Kobe holds a special place in Tatum's heart. However, it is also clear that he's picking the GOAT over the Black Mamba.