The NBA is filled with “what if” scenarios, and one of the most talked-about ones in recent years centers around the Los Angeles Lakers and their decision in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The Lakers had the No. 2 pick and were heavily focused on selecting Lonzo Ball. Markelle Fultz, widely regarded as the top prospect, was expected to be taken first overall by the Boston Celtics, who held the No. 1 pick. However, the Celtics surprised many by trading the No. 1 and No. 3 picks to the Philadelphia 76ers, allowing them to take Jayson Tatum with the third pick. In hindsight, it’s clear that the Celtics won the trade, as Tatum has become one of the league’s elite players and led the Celtics to a championship.
In a recent appearance on the *Club 520 Podcast*, Tatum opened up about his childhood dream of playing for the Lakers, largely due to his admiration for Kobe Bryant. He revealed that he never even got the chance to work out for the Lakers before the draft:
“No, I mean it definitely worked out,” Tatum said. “The consensus was that Markelle was going first overall, and when the Lakers had the second pick, it seemed like they were set on Lonzo. The Celtics had the top pick at the time and came to watch me in Phoenix since Phoenix was picking fourth.”
Tatum continued, “I worked out for all of them, and they came to see me. But then someone, I won’t name names, in the Celtics front office told me, ‘That was one of the best workouts I’ve seen. Good luck with your career, but we’ve got the No. 1 pick, and we’re probably not picking you.’”
He added, “At that point, I was like… For me, growing up a Kobe fan, I always wanted to play for the Lakers. So to have them with the No. 2 pick and not even consider me, that was kind of devastating. I never worked out for them, and they never came to watch me.”
Tatum has always been vocal about his admiration for Kobe, even wearing Bryant’s No. 10 Team USA jersey during the Olympics this past summer.
While we’ll never know for sure how things would have unfolded had the Lakers selected Tatum over Ball, one thing is certain: Tatum is thriving in Boston. Recently, as a tribute to Bryant, he even got a tattoo of the All-Star Game trophy named after Kobe.
