Netflix; V.J. Lovero/Sports Illustrated via Getty Caleb McLaughlin pays tribute to Kobe Bryant in new season of Stranger Things
Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin subtly honored his real-life hero, Kobe Bryant, in the new season of the hit series.
Netflix released the fourth season of Stranger Things last Friday, which means many fans have already finished its nine episodes. (But if not, don’t worry, no spoilers here!)
This season, McLaughlin’s character, Lucas Sinclair, is a member of Hawkins High’s basketball team. Netflix confirmed in a tweet Monday that McLaughlin chose No. 8 for his jersey number as a nod to the former Los Angeles Lakers player.
“The #8 jersey Lucas wears is a nod to Kobe Bryant’s first jersey number,” Netflix said. “@calebmclaughlin is a huge fan and had the idea to pay tribute to Kobe through his character’s jersey.”
Bryant famously wore No. 8 for the first 10 years of his career before changing it to No. 24 at the start of the 2006-2007 season.
In January 2020, Bryant was killed in a tragic helicopter crash alongside his daughter, Gianna, and seven others.
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Outside of Stranger Things, McLaughlin has played basketball since childhood and even appeared in the 2018 All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game.
In 2017, the Netflix star scored a photo with Bryant’s former Lakers teammate, Shaquille O’Neal.
Stranger Things will return to Netflix for a fifth and final season, series creators Matt and Ross Duffer announced in February.
“Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things. At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons,” they wrote in an open letter to fans.
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“It proved too large to tell in four, but — as you’ll soon see for yourselves — we are now hurling toward our finale,” they added.
Stranger Things 4 is now streaming on Netflix.
