Celtics’ Jayson Tatum: ‘Kind of Devastating’ Lakers Didn’t Draft Me as a Kobe Fan

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When Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was preparing for the 2017 NBA draft, he had his eyes set on following in the footsteps of his favorite player.

During an appearance on the Club 520 Podcast, Tatum revealed that he was hoping to wear the same uniform as his idol Kobe Bryant, but he was left disappointed that the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t consider taking him second overall.

“For me, I grew up a Kobe fan, I always wanted to play for the Lakers. For them to have the No. 2 pick and it wasn’t even a thought that I was gonna get drafted, that was kind of devastating,” Tatum said. “I never worked out for the Lakers, they never came to watch me workout.”

Tatum also added that he was hoping to land with the Phoenix Suns at the No. 4 pick because they had a young team and he believed he would be able to thrive.

However, the Celtics, who traded the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft to the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 3 pick, invited Tatum for a second workout and ended up selecting him. The 26-year-old helped lead Boston to its 18th NBA championship in franchise history last season.

“I went up to Boston like three days before the draft, I had another workout, and the rest is history and it all worked out,” Tatum said.