Jayson Tatum reveals funny story with Lakers star LeBron James back in 2009

As Team USA gears up for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, NBA stars like Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James are preparing to bring home the gold. During a team practice, Tatum reminisced about a funny encounter he had with LeBron back in 2009.

At the time, Tatum was just a young fan, attending a game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers. His father’s best friend, Larry Hughes, was a teammate of LeBron, and young Jayson was eager to get an autograph from his idol. However, LeBron declined to sign, leaving a young Tatum in tears

Fast forward to the present, as the U.S. squad trains for the Olympics, Tatum recalled the incident. LeBron jokingly responded, “Is that why you dunked on me in the 2018 Conference Finals?” Tatum’s punchline: “It was payback.”

Jayson Tatum dunk on LeBron James

In the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics faced off against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Late in the fourth quarter of Game 7, with the Celtics trailing by four, rookie Jayson Tatum seized his moment. He drove to the basket and delivered a thunderous dunk over LeBron James.

The TD Garden erupted as Tatum roared toward the crowd, marking a defining moment in his young career. The chest bump that followed was Tatum’s way of channeling the adrenaline and declaring his presence on the NBA stage.

see also

LeBron James set to achieve something Michael Jordan never did