The NBA championship seems like Hunger Games right about now with so many teams looking to make a break this season. But despite having an impressive roster, there might only be three teams on the top contenders list. Jayson Tatum‘s Celtics are among them this season.

There is a reason why Jayson Tatum is popular. And it’s not for his looks. The Celtics forward ate, lived and breathed basketball since he was young. His push-forward-against-all-odds mentality is courtesy of his single mom who fought for her son’s dreams.

Ex-NBA champion adamant he will choose Tatum any day

Former Bucks guard Jeff Teague has a lot to say about the upcoming season. He joins the team of the Club 520 podcast for predictions on the NBA season. The ex-NBA champion vehemently opposes the idea of Luka Doncic even being on the list. “I’m taking Jason Tatum over Luka … Luka just the white James Harden”. 

The trade of Grant Williams to Doncic’s Mavericks is a tough pill to swallow for Teague, who considers Grant to be his ‘brotha for life’. The fact that Jeff describes Luka as a ‘white Harden‘ speaks volumes about his thoughts on the subject.

Read More: Days After Showing His “Greatness” to 10× NBA All-Star, Jayson Tatum Touted to Be the Next Paul Pierce: “He Is the Next Me”

Subsequently, Tatum being chosen over Doncic is simply not an emotional response. Further into the podcast, we can see DJ Wells and Bishop are of the opinion that Tatum is a reliable player. Amen to that.

Tatum’s driving force

The day Kobe Bryant died in a copter crash will stay ingrained in every basketball lover’s memory. For Jayson Tatum, it was a heart-wrenching day. Tatum picked up a ball for the first time because of his love for Bryant. The Black Mamba’s otherworldly skills imprinted on a young Jayson.

It took a while for Jayson to realize the “otherworldly” skills were a result of Kobe’s work ethic. “For me, the thing I fell in love with about him is his work ethic,” Tatum said on CBS News Boston. “How he wanted to outwork his potential and outwork everybody and prove that he was the best. And that’s exactly what he did.”

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This work ethic is something Jayson follows religiously to this day. If Tatum watched Kobe Bryant’s games because of his love for the player initially, the next time he watched was to pay attention to every little detail. He knows there is still a lot for him to do to reach Kobe Bryant’s status. But, one thing is for sure. Jayson Tatum has no intention of stopping even for a second.