LeBron James: Jayson Tatum ‘Built For Stardom’
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
If the 2018 NBA Playoffs told us anything, it’s that the Celtics have something special on their hands in Jayson Tatum.
The No. 3 overall pick from last year’s draft, the 20-year-old Tatum saved some of his best work for the Eastern Conference Finals, where he went up against his cousin (Cavaliers coach Ty Lue) and a man he begged for a follow from on Twitter four years ago (Cavaliers superstar LeBron James) and not only held his own, but thrived.
In the seven-game series, Tatum averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 49.5 percent from the field. He also closed his series out with a massive dunk over King James, and with a little post-dunk bump, too.
TATUM DUNKED ON LEBRON 😳
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 28, 2018
(via @celtics)https://t.co/Gi7KucMkhb
And Tatum apparently has a fan in James, too.
After the two shared a moment on the Boston parquet following Cleveland’s 87-79 victory, the 33-year-old James was asked about his feelings and specifically that postgame moment with Boston’s No. 0.
“I just love everything about the kid,” James offered after his team’s Game 7 victory when asked about the 20-year-old Tatum. “The way he plays the game, his demeanor, where he comes from. I know his parents. I just know he’s just built for stardom. He’s built for success. And that’s both on and off the floor.”
“That was a special moment for me, because it’s different,” Tatum admitted after the loss.
“It’s my first year in the league. I grew up watching LeBron and asking him to follow me back on Twitter, going to his camps,” the Boston rookie continued. “So just to [be in] my first year, to be able to compete against a player like him and be a few shots away from beating him and his team to go to the championship is something I will always remember.”
James also had some kind words for veteran big man Al Horford, as well.
“Me and Al, we’ve had a lot of battles in the postseason and been on a lot of All-Star teams together,” James, who has gone against Horford in the postseason in four different series now, said. “I’ve always had a lot of mutual respect for Al and the way he conducts himself, not only as a player but as a professional, both on and off the floor. That was the moment there.”
“Two guys right there that — Boston is very lucky to have them,” said James.
