Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, still fresh off of the best game of his professional career, is now completely immersed in All-Star Weekend.
It’s not his first experience as an All-Star, as Tatum was named as a Rising Star for his first two seasons and won the Skills Challenge at All-Star Weekend in the 2018-19 season. Tatum, defending his title as the Skills Challenge champion for 2019-20, participated in the event again on Sunday but lost in the first round and Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo was a surprise winner.
However, Tatum’s loss hasn’t dampened his All-Star festivities one bit, as the 21-year-old is an All-Star for the first time in his career.
The soft-spoken, baby-faced killer has said being named as an All-Star was a surreal experience but upon entering the All-Star weekend and seeing his warmups and jersey, it’s all now very real to the St. Louis native.
“Now it’s real” …first-time @NBAAllStar @jaytatum0 sees his uniform for the first time! #nbaallstar pic.twitter.com/7iogig7MVL
— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2020
Tatum, who wasn’t named as a starter, was drafted by team captain LeBron James. As he finds himself on a stacked team with three former NBA MVP’s, including James, it’s unlikely that he’ll be winning the All-Star Game MVP Award (renamed after Kobe Bryant after his tragic passing).
However, anything is possible (as noted by the infamous Kevin Garnett) and Celtics fans certainly would love to see Tatum win an award named in honor of his idol.
The game will take place at 8 p.m EST on TNT.
Be sure to tune in!