Jayson Tatum has emerged as the centerpiece for the Boston Celtics over the past few seasons. Especially with one ring on his tally, JT has become one of the most intriguing players in the league. But, the way to the top wasn’t so easy for Tatum. Precisely, his time before the NBA draft in 2017 is a tale of surprises, and the C’s #0 just can’t forget them.

On the Club 520 podcast, the reigning NBA champ shared the story of how the Celtics too were slipping out of his hands despite putting up a tremendous workout for them. Tatum narrated:

“I was in LA, the Celtics had the No.1 pick at the time. They came to watch me in Phoenix. So Phoenix was four. So, I worked out for all of them, they came, watched me everybody was raving about the workout,” Jayson Tatum shared. “But then somebody I ain’t going to say his name but somebody from the Celtics front office was like ‘Yo one of the best workouts I’ve seen’. He was like ‘Good luck in your career but you know we got the No.1 pick. We probably not going to pick you’. At that time I was like damn.”

However, we know how things turned out for Jayson Tatum. The Celtics, who initially had the No. 1 pick in 2017, expected to choose Markelle Fultz. But, they elected to trade back two spots to grab the Duke product, allowing the Philadelphia 76ers to get Fultz. But, disappointment came to JT in the form of the LA Lakers. Rob Pelinka’s decision had “devastated” the then-rookie Jayson Tatum.

The Lakers never picked Jayson Tatum, crushing his dream

Isn’t it the dream of almost all the present-generation NBA players to play for the LA Lakers? Well, this desire shouldn’t come across as a surprise and all the credit goes to the only Mamba of the league- Kobe Bryant. And just like many others out there, the Boston Celtics forward, Jayson Tatum is a Kobe fan. Therefore, it was one of his bucket list dreams to be drafted by the Lakers. Did that happen?

“I grew up a Kobe fan,” JT said on Club 520. “Like, I always wanted to play for the Lakers. So for them to have the No. 2 pick and it was like they didn’t even- it wasn’t even a thought that I was going to get drafted like that was kind of devastating. So, I never worked out for the Lakers. They never came to watch me work out.”

Well, it seems Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office weren’t particularly interested in the Duke alumna. Sad. However, the 5x NBA champ did make it to the team often considered equivalent to the Purple and Gold itself- the Boston Celtics. Well, the C’s have now exceeded the Lakers’ trophy count, so yes Jayson Tatum and Co. have an upper hand in this case.

Jayson Tatum’s journey to the NBA may not have followed his original dream, but it led him somewhere equally powerful. Though the Lakers passed on him, he found a home with the Celtics, one of the league’s most storied franchises. Now, as a champion and key player, he carves his own legacy, carrying the torch of competition and excellence—something his idol Kobe would admire.