$315 million man Jayson Tatum reacts incredulously after his $2.8 million Richard Millie gets called 'kid's watch' by reporter': "That's crazy"
The Jayson Tatum-led Boston Celtics and the 2023 NBA champions Denver Nuggets played two preseason games in Abu Dhabi. Aside from giving hoops fans in Abu Dhabi the chance to see the league's top talent play, it also allowed the players to interact with members of the media there.
In one of these sessions, one media member spotted Tatum's rather unique watch. When it was his turn to ask the Celtics star a question, he asked if the watch he was wearing was real, adding that it looked like a kid's watch.
Before the reporter could ask his real question, Tatum responded to the initial one about his watch while also laughing with teammate Derrick White.
"That's crazy," Tatum said. "That was crazy."
The watch that Jayson Tatum was wearing was, in fact, a real one and not a kid's watch.
It is the Richard Mille RM 88 Smiley luxury watch valued at $2,884,000, per LuxuryWatchesUSA. The Richard Mille website says that this particular timepiece has a baseplate made of 90% grade-five titanium. Meanwhile, the case is made of white ceramic while the caseband is red gold. These are just among the features that give it its value.
Of course, what helped Jayson Tatum afford this luxury watch is his high value in the NBA. As one of the league's best superstars, he has been rewarded with a massive extension.
This past summer, the Celtics inked Tatum to a five-year extension worth $315 million, the richest contract in league history. He was given this extension not long after Boston brought home another title. He joined teammate Jaylen Brown on the short list of players who will be earning north of $300 million on a single contract.
Jayson Tatum has been seen wearing Richard Mille watches before
Jayson Tatum is no stranger to luxury watches, especially those from Richard Mille. Early in January, the Boston Celtics took on the OKC Thunder at the Paycom Center. Ahead of the game, Tatum was spotted wearing the RM 67-02.
Then in the NBA Finals, Tatum was once again spotted wearing a Richard Mille timepiece. This time, it was the RM 07-01 as reported by GQ's Oren Hartov.
Tatum appears to be an avid luxury watch collector and fans will often see him sporting one of his timepieces in his pregame fits and postgame press conferences.
How did Jayson Tatum perform in the preseason games in Abu Dhabi?
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics played two preseason games against the Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi. While these were only exhibition games, Tatum still played great, putting on a show for the fans over there.
The first game took place on Friday (Oct. 4). Tatum scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished five assists in 19 minutes of action. He was one of three Celtics players who scored in double-figures and was instrumental in picking up a four-point win (107-103).
In their second game (Oct. 6), Tatum registered 17 points, two rebounds and four assists. The Celtics also won this game, but this time by a 26-point landslide (130-104)