When posed a question about his jersey number by a young French fan, Zach LaVine revealed that Kobe Bryant is his inspiration for wearing no. 8.
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The Chicago Bulls have thus far had quite a disappointing start to the season. They looked to be in contention for a good playoff run last year. But a knee injury to Lonzo Ball put paid to those hopes.
And in Ball’s absence this year, they’ve struggled to keep pace with the Eastern Conference juggernauts. They held an 11-18 record till a month back. Many fans thought they’d go out and make a fire sale of their assets given that start.
But led by Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, Chicago have clawed their way back into the playoff picture. After tonight’s wire-to-wire win over the Detroit Pistons, they stand 2 games behind the 8th seed and 3.5 games behind 6th-seeded Miami.
Zach LaVine, in particular, has been on a roll in the past 15 days or so. He’s currently on a streak of 7 straight 25-point games. His efficient 30-point night played a major role in the Bulls’ romp to the dub in Paris.
Zach LaVine reveals why he wears the no. 8 jersey to a young French basketball fan
Speaking at the post-game presser following their win, LaVine interacted with a French youngster. The kid wanted to know the reason behind the Bulls star wearing no. 8, and LaVine obliged:
“Why I wore no. 8 is because of my idol Kobe Bryant, you know. So looking up to him, I wanted to do everything he did. I wore the number 14 in my high school because of my dad.”
“Then I got to the NBA and I wanted to wear no. 8 because of Kobe. So I looked up to Kobe and Michael, like a lot of kids growing up, like a lot of kids growing up in the 90s. I mean, I always tried to do everything he and Mike did.”
What are the Bulls’ chances of making the playoffs?
An injury to Tyrese Haliburton has put paid to the Indiana Pacers’ playoff aspirations, as things currently look. Since losing him, they’ve been on a 5-game losing streak.
The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks are both huffing and puffing their way through the season. Both teams are likely to stick around the .500 mark.
This opens up a possibility for LaVine’s Bulls team to put together a winning streak and steer clear of their competition. However, they will definitely need to raise their effort levels on the defensive side of things.
