Former Duke basketball standout Jayson Tatum joined his idol Kobe Bryant in the Game Seven record books.
Jayson Tatum idolized Kobe Bryant as a young basketball player, and upon his first two seasons in the NBA, the two would work out together in the offseason.
As the late superstar always channeled his ‘Mamba Mentality’, Tatum seized that energy on Friday night in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The first-time All-Star joined the future Hall of Famer as the second-youngest player to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a Game Seven.
Jayson Tatum spoke on what the honor meant to join his basketball hero in the NBA record books.
“Everybody knows how much he meant to myself, how much he meant to this world, to the game of basketball.”@jaytatum0 became the first player with 25+ PTS, 10+ REB & 5+ AST in a Game 7 since Kobe. pic.twitter.com/SDurVO7MwC
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) September 12, 2020
Tatum finished the night with 29 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a block on 9-of-23 shooting from the field, 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range, and 7-of-10 from the free throw line.
The former Blue Devil also grabbed the game-clinching rebound after a second missed free throw from Grant Williams with under 35 seconds to go and was fouled in the process, making one of his two attempts to put the Boston up by three as the Celtics went on to defeat the Toronto Raptors, 92-87.
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Friday night was Tatum’s 20th career 20-point postseason game, tying him with Kevin Durant for the fourth-most in NBA history before turning 23, only trailing LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Derrick Rose, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
Luckily for Tatum, he will have a handful of more chances to climb that list this year as the Celtics are headed to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Miami Heat.
This will be the second time in Jayson Tatum’s three NBA seasons that he has reached the Eastern Conference Finals, the first coming in his rookie season in 2018 in which Boston fell to the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.
The Elias Sports Bureau also stated that Tatum is the third player in NBA history to lead both teams in points, rebounds, and assists in a Game Seven, joining James and Larry Bird.
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For the series, Jayson Tatum averaged 24.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game as he has now posted four straight double-doubles in this postseason.
Next up for Boston are those Miami Heat, who took out the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in five games. Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals is slated for Tuesday, September 15 on ESPN. The time of the game is yet to be determined.