Jayson Tatum, the star who came to the Celtics thanks to his mother

When the Boston Celtics had to say goodbye to Kyrie Irving, who left for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, the franchise bet heavily by Jayson Tatum, a player destined to shine in the NBA with his own light and for whom the Lakers hit the wall after letting him go in 2017.

Tatum dreamed of playing for the Lakers and following in the footsteps of his greatest idol, Kobe Bryant, however, the angelina franchise had other plans and Tatum was chosen by Bostonthe winningest team at that time in the NBA, after validating the third pick of the 2017 draft.

Who is Jayson Tatum?

Jayson Tatum was born on March 3, 1998, in San Luis, Missouri, practically with a ball in his hand, because his father, Justin Tatum, was looking for a place as a professional in basketball. The relationship between Jayson’s mother, Brandy, and Justin didn’t pan out after Jayson’s birth, so Brandy managed to get by at 19, with her law career well under way.

Brandy was a mother, a student, and worked part-time shifts, so sometimes Jayson was able to spend time with his mother in the wee hours, starting at 5:30, when they woke up and the days dragged on so long that Jayson went to sleep without seeing his mother back.

Other days, Jayson accompanied his mother to the university so as not to be alone and while she studied, he looked for something to entertain himself with.

Natural talent and arrival in the NBA

For years, Jayson’s father, Justin, played in Europe, so he spent little time with him, but it was enough to fall in love with basketball and inherit talent. When Justin didn’t send the pension money on time, Brandy and Jayson suffered, so they dealt with food shortages and power outages.

Jayson’s dream was always to reach the NBA, and he let it be known from school and although some teacher suggested he change his dream, Jayson clung when one of the many nights his mother spent reading books, she let him know that he never wanted to spend so much time on books, he wanted to play basketball all the time. “You’ll have to try very hard then.” his mother advised him.

Currently, Tatum has a program with which help single mothers for ease the way a little for those who make a sacrifice similar to the one his mother made.

Jayson’s talents began to shine through in high school, so when it was time to make the jump to college, Jayson had wholesale offers, but it was clear that he would go to Duke, in North Carolina, because it was one of the most prestigious in the NCAA.

He shone at the same university where Kyrie Irving and Seth Curry, Steph’s brother, came from and in 2017 he declared himself eligible for the draft, at the age of 19, the same age his mother was when he was born.

The Lakers mistake

Tatum developed as an admirer of Kobe and for this same situation, as a fan of the Lakers, however, in the 2017 draft, when the Lakers were going through low hours, without Kobe and without playoffs, they chose Lonzo Ball with the second pick.

The third pick went to the Celtics and they chose Jayson Tatum, who is now the star of Boston, while the Lakers had to trade Lonzo Ball three seasons later, and two other players, to take Anthony Davis, a Pelicans precedent, and who later became Zion Williamson.

Why does Tatum play with the number 0?

Tatum’s main idea was to play in number 22 when he arrived at Duke, but the number had been retired in honor of Jay Williams, so he opted for 0, a number worn by another of his favorite players, Gilbert Arenas, who played for the Warriors and Wizards.

“I chose 0 because Gilbert was one of my favorite players and I stayed with him,” he said, although upon arrival at the Celtics, 0 belonged to Avery Bradley, current Lakers player, so the beginning of his story with Boston it was with 11.

However, the 0 was free when Bradley was sent to the Pistons, and Jayson did not hesitate to ask for it.

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