Kobe Bryant received a touching tribute in the newest season of "Stranger Things" ... with one of the show's stars, Caleb McLaughlin, paying homage by wearing the NBA legend's iconic #8 during the show.
Netflix says 20-year-old Caleb -- who is a massive Kobe fan -- came up with the idea for his on-screen character, Lucas Sinclair, to wear the Mamba's digit on his basketball jersey in the huge show.
Despite the number being factually incorrect (H.S. hoopers could only wear numbers that ended in 0-5 in the 1980s), the show's producers loved the plan to honor Mamba and let him don it for filming.