Jayson Tatum told himself growing up that ‘I’m going to play for the Lakers’

The Boston Celtics are hoping young star Jayson Tatum can lead them to an NBA title in the near future.

However, when he was growing up, Tatum wanted nothing to do with the Celtics. In fact, he grew up wanting to be a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

“My favorite player and my idol was Kobe [Bryant], and everybody knows that. So, I didn’t like the Celtics at all growing up,” Tatum told former NBA star Quentin Richardson in an interview. “I only grew up, I was like, ‘I’m going to play for the Lakers. I’m going to play for the Lakers.’ Honestly, I ain’t even knew what Boston was at. Like I knew only East Coast. But, I’d never been there, I never thought about going there.”

Of course, the Lakers could have drafted Tatum in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Instead, they opted to select Lonzo Ball. It’s likely a decision many within the Lakers organization regret.

Now, Tatum enters the 2020-21 season as one of the top young players in the league. Last season, he averaged 23.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He averaged 45.0 percent shooting from the field and 40.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

In his young career, Tatum has advanced deeply into the playoffs multiple times. However, he has yet to get over the hump and play in an NBA Finals.

Surely, he’ll look to change that this season and win the Eastern Conference for the first time in his career.

If he achieves that goal, chances are good that the defending champion Lakers will be waiting for him in the championship round.