NBA Hoops

Jayson Tatum reveals that growing up he ‘always wanted to play for the Lakers’

Jayson Tatum jut released a truth bomb that clears the waters around so many myths in the NBA, especially debunking the theory that the Lakers ever wanted to draft him back in 2017. According to the 26-year-old, he had a different dream prepared for him, and it didn’t involved wearing the Celtics uniform. 

Actually, quite the opposite, as the forward’s desire had always been to wear the jersey from Boston’s classic rival, painted purple and gold. In a recent appearance on the Club 520 Podcast, JT finally revealed what had been his original dream all along.

“For me, I grew up a Kobe fan, I always wanted to play for the Lakers,” Tatum said in the episode released on Monday. “For them to have the No. 2 pick and it wasn’t even a thought that I was gonna get drafted, that was kind of devastating. I never worked out for the Lakers. They never came to watch me workout.”

Fortunately for the Celtics, the future NBA champion had not been chosen in the NBA Draft and they took the Duke product that night as the No. 3 pick. “I get drafted, Gordan Hayward signs with the Celtics. I call my agent like, ‘Yo, I gotta get traded,’” he shared. “I’m in Summer League before I ever play a game.”

“(My agent’s) like, ‘Relax. Wait it out. You gotta chill.’ I’m like, ‘I’m trying to play.’ I didn’t get drafted to come off the bench and not start,” Tatum recalled. Both Boston stars then found themselves sharing the starting lineup, but Hayward then broke his leg five minutes in and missed out on that entire campaign.

Fast-forward 7 years later, if Jayson continues the path he’s on, he might just surpass Larry’s historic marks. Not only is he still young, the six-foot-eight forward has already earned a Rookie First-Team nod, an All-Star Game MVP, plus five All-Star selections.

Also, not too long ago he contributed to Team USA conquering the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, an award he had already earned four years earlier in Tokyo. Now that he won the league this past June, he’s started to understand that the sky is the limit for him.

That’s not it, according to an NBA Hall of Famer, he’s got an extra motivation to succeed. “I think Jaylen getting left off the Olympic team and Jayson not playing… They’re the defending champs that’s gonna…

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