Trae Young’s incredible game had some Kobe Bryant coincidences: ‘He was with me tonight’

His stats are a huge coincidence.

Atlanta Hawks sensation Trae Young paid tribute to Kobe Bryant on Sunday night after news broke that the NBA legend had died in a helicopter crash. The guard started the game wearing Bryant’s No. 8 and took an eight-second violation.

He then put on a show, scoring 45 points on 13-of-24 shooting with six threes and 14 assists in a 152-133 win over the Washington Wizards. Afterwards, he spoke about one of the final conversations he had with the man who mentored him: “He was just telling me how much he’s seen my game progress and he’s just been happy for me.”

As someone pointed out, the last player to total 45 points or more with under 25 shot attempts against the Washington Wizards was … Bryant, back in 2006. What’s more, Young took 24 (Bryant’s other iconic number he wore) shots and finished with 81 percent shooting from the foul line, reminding fans of Bryant’s 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.

Young tweeted “he was with me tonight” when he found that out:

There were other coincidences involving Devin Booker too:

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