After heart-breaking Lakers moment, Jayson Tatum reveals how Coach K changed outcome of his career
Jayson Tatum revealed what really went down during the famous 2017 NBA Draft where he ended up with the Celtics
Follow Us
Coach K persuaded Jayson Tatum to join the Boston Celtics
The 2017 NBA Draft featured one of the most intriguing storylines in draft history. In the same draft, the Boston Celtics selected Jayson Tatum with the third overall pick. The move worked out perfectly but the Celtics star revealed that Coach K was the man who persuaded him to go with Boston.
Looking back on the 2017 NBA Draft, the Celtics originally had the number 1 pick. The general consensus at that time was for Markelle Fultz to be a Celtic. However, the landscape took a major shift when Boston traded down in the draft, landing themselves with the third pick.
At the time, for me, I grew up a Kobe fan. I always wanted to play for the Lakers… for them [the Lakers] to have the No. 2 pick, and it wasn’t even a thought that I was going to get drafted [by the Lakers], that was kind of devastating. I never worked out for the Lakers. They never came to watch me work out.
Jayson Tatum said on the Club 520 podcast
Tatum also touched on his decision to move with the Celtics given his admiration for the LA team. After much persuasion from Coach K, Tatum left his desire to play for the other Draft lottery teams. The Duke star at the time revealed that Boston was a no-go for him given the roster just went to the Eastern Conference Finals earlier that year.
StoryTime With JT@jaytatum0 pulled up to 520!https://t.co/iNDUFQmuEo pic.twitter.com/C803jMRmpr
— SBWells (@wellssssssssss) November 4, 2024
Despite the Lakers not drafting Tatum, all things worked out for the Saint Louis-born star. As of now, Tatum has multiple All-NBA selections, a 5-time All-Star and an NBA Championship. With a possible MVP nod on the way, Celtics fans were treated to one of the greatest moves from Danny Ainge and the front office.
Why did the Boston Celtics trade down for Jayson Tatum?
In 2017, at the time of the draft, Markelle Fultz was a hot commodity. Most of the teams were on the hunt for the Washington guard, even reportedly leading the Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers to be involved in a bidding war.
Amid this Danny Ainge saw an opportunity to flip the number one pick and also gain additional draft assets. Furthermore, the Celtics team featured four rotational guards and were in dire need of a forward. With Tatum being the most plug-in-ready player in the draft, the decision was a no-brainer for the front office.
Ainge’s move was further solidified when the Lakers were even willing to throw in Julius Randle in the trade. The deal ended up with the Sixers drafting Fultz at number 1 and Lonzo Ball ending up with the Lakers and the rest is history. The Celtics ran away with a world-class player while Ball and Fultz withered away from stardom due to multiple injuries.
Stay Updated!
Gerard Crispin
(3318 Articles Published)