How did the Jayson Tatum "Tie a Tie" video originate? Exploring roots of the viral trend that took the internet for a ride
While Jayson Tatum may be known as one of the NBA's best players right now, there was a time when he was just another teenager on the internet. Back in April of 2013 when he was still just a high school student, Tatum uploaded a video online called "TIE A TIE." At the time, Tatum was simply filming a video for a school project.
Fast forward a decade, and the minute and 45-second video has amassed over 5 million views. The video starts by showing off a handful of different photos of ties before a young baby-faced Tatum demonstrates how to tie a "four in hand" knot. To date, the video is one of two uploaded to Tatum's YouTube account.
The other is a video titled "J TATUM MOVIE," where he can be seen explaining why he decided to attend Chaminade College Prep. The video features several shorter segments of Tatum around his high school campus with his friends and peers, and has racked up 1.5 million views.
When fans discovered the "TIE A TIE" video after Tatum made it to the NBA, it quickly went viral and made the rounds on social media. While many assumed it was only a matter of time before Tatum decided to erase the video of his teenage self from the internet, that hasn't been the case.
Interestingly enough, last year, when Tatum spoke about the viral video with Bleacher Report, he said that he didn't remember how to tie a tie. As he explained, he was in a web design class where they had to make a YouTube account and post videos.
You can view the original video from Jayson Tatum's YouTube account posted above.
Jayson Tatum's evolution into one of the greatest players in the game today
While the "TIE A TIE" video is without question an absolute gem, it's incredible to look back at Tatum's evolution from then until now. At the time, he was in the midst of cementing himself as one of the best young high school recruits in the nation. He led the Chaminade Red Devils to two titles.
The next year, the one after his famous YouTube video gone viral, he averaged a whopping 26.0 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game. As if averaging a double-double wasn't enough, Tatum then averaged 25.9 ppg, 11.7rpg and 3.4 assists per game as a junior.
After finishing a dominant junior season, he joined one of the most prominent AAU teams in the country in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. To make his high school career all the more impressive, he committed to Duke before his senior year.
During a recent sit-down this season, Tatum reflected on telling Mike Krzyzewski that he was committing to Duke:
"I was really quiet back then, especially around people I didn't really know and Coach K, I was intimidated. When I took my visit to Duke, I knew I wanted to go there."
As it turns out, Tatum was too shook to speak during the meeting at his house. As he recalled, he was so nervous and wanted to commit but couldn't find the words until the end of the meeting when the two coaches were getting ready to leave.
You can view his comments in the video below.