Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has finally followed in the footsteps of his hero LeBron James by becoming an NBA champion, having looked up to him since his childhood according to an old resurfaced tweet.
The Celtics clinched the series 4-1 over the Dallas Mavericks, winning 106-88 in Game 5, and the 26-year-old played a magnificent closeout game to put him in contention.
Tatum Praises Brown After Championship Win
Tatum finished the game with 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to cap an impressive display. He was one of the candidates for the NBA MVP award, but lost out to his team-mate Jaylen Brown, who pledged to share it with his team-mate anyway.
It’s been quite a journey to the top for Tatum, who is recognized as one of the star players in the league, and that is reflected in a now-viral tweet he sent to James in 2012.
Going back 12 years, it was LeBron who was dominating the NBA with the Miami Heat as he won his first title in 2012.
Tatum was merely a young basketball hopeful in the eighth grade, hoping to catch the eye of his hero after posting a photo of his teenage self on Twitter and begging James to follow him back.
“Follow back it’s Larry Hughes nephew from St. Louis and Abe and Rj Lil cousin and Justin Son Follow Back,” Tatum’s tweet from 2012 read.
Jayson Tatum’s rise from school to NBA champion
Tatum was a star at Chaminade High School in St. Louis before playing for one season under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke.
He didn’t quite match up to James in college, as he was the No 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Some 14 years later, Tatum went third overall to the Celtics where he has been ever since.
Tatum and James have matched up several times with both in the NBA and are now set to take part in the Paris 2024 Olympics as part of Team USA’s basketball team.
However, it seems that even now – with his new-found stardom as one of the league’s top players – Tatum still can’t get that elusive follow from the @KingJames account.
