Kobe Bryant’s Influence on Jared McCain Started With One Lakers Memory

Jared McCain revealed his earliest playoff memory after a massive Game 3 night, and it has a surprising Los Angeles Lakers connection.

Jared McCain | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the 2026 playoffs. But one of the players who beat them has a deeper connection to Lakers history than most people realize.

Speaking to reporters after Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, per postgame media availability, McCain opened up about the moment that started his love for playoff basketball.

He grew up in Corona, California, wore Kobe Bryant's No. 24 in high school, and was the back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year in California. He was not just a fan. He was a Kobe kid through and through.

"The earliest (memory) of watching playoff basketball, I think I wanna say 2011 when I was seven," McCain said. "I remember walking into my parents room and seeing, was that Lakers? Were the Lakers in there? Probably. I remember walking in there and seeing my brother and my dad watching it and I'm kind of lost at that age, I was lost."

"But I remember watching and seeing Kobe. Kobe's been my favorite player since I started playing basketball so I gravitated towards him and his mentality. So I think that was my earliest memory."

“Kobe's been my favorite player since I started playing basketball so I gravitated towards him and his mentality."

Jared McCain shares one of his earliest basketball memories after contributing a Playoff career-high 24 PTS in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals!

OKC (2-1)… https://t.co/8xHUUkOuau pic.twitter.com/Sz4dkqYywl

— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2026

That 2011 Lakers team lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round. McCain was seven years old. He probably had no idea what a series deficit meant. But he saw Kobe on that screen, locked in with his dad and his brother, and that image stayed with him.

How That Kobe Mentality Shows Up in McCain's Playoff Run

That is the part Lakers fans are still sitting with. McCain grew up idolizing Kobe, dreaming about the Lakers, and this postseason he was one of the key pieces that sent Los Angeles home in the second round. The Thunder swept the Lakers in four games, with McCain chipping in off the bench in a supporting role that kept growing every game.

Now he is in the Western Conference Finals, and the numbers have climbed every round. The Thunder beat the Spurs 123-108 in Game 3, with McCain scoring 24 points on 21 shots. He checked in when OKC trailed 19-4 and helped swing the game completely. The bench outscored San Antonio's bench 76-23 on the night.

The Thunder lead the Spurs series 2-1 heading into Game 4. For Lakers fans, watching McCain ball out in the playoffs is not easy to watch. The kid who fell in love with basketball because of Kobe and the Lakers is now one of the players keeping LA out of the championship picture.

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