Jayson Tatum Opens Up About 'Devastating' Feeling Over Lakers Snub

Celtics star Jayson Tatum has defined his journey earlier than the 2017 draft and the way he felt minimize that the Lakers didn’t even give him a glance in.

“I used to be in LA, the Celtics had the No.1 choose on the time. They got here to observe me in Phoenix. So Phoenix was 4. So, I labored out for all of them, they got here, watched me everyone was raving in regards to the exercise,” the Celtics star mentioned on Membership 520 podcast. “However then anyone, I ain’t going to say his identify, however anyone from the Celtics entrance workplace was like ‘Yo top-of-the-line exercises I’ve seen’. He was like ‘Good luck in your profession however you understand we obtained the No.1 choose. We in all probability not going to select you’. At the moment I used to be like rattling.”

Tatum was coping with the information from the Celtics, in addition to the actual fact the purple and gold paid him completely no thoughts.

“…For me, I grew up a Kobe fan,” JT mentioned. “Like, I all the time wished to play for the Lakers. So for them to have the No. 2 choose and it was like they didn’t even- it wasn’t even a thought that I used to be going to get drafted – that was sort of devastating. So, I by no means labored out for the Lakers. They by no means got here to observe me work out.”

Boston wished to carry Tatum again for one more exercise forward of the draft, nevertheless it took some convincing from his Duke coach on the time Mike Krzyzewski.

“I keep in mind Coach Ok was like, ‘Yo, Boston desires to have you ever for a second exercise. It’s best to go,’” Tatum recalled. “I’m like, ‘Coach, they simply got here off the Jap Convention Finals. They obtained a veteran group, I’m in all probability not gonna play. I don’t wanna go.’ And he was raving about Brad Stevens. He was like, ‘Brad’s top-of-the-line coaches within the league, simply go for one more exercise.’

“And I keep in mind, I went as much as Boston like three days earlier than the draft. I had one other exercise. I didn’t know the place I used to be getting drafted till they referred to as my identify. However, you understand, the remaining is historical past, and all of it labored out.”