Jayson Tatum opens up on sharing "cool" moment with mom Brandy Cole and grandmother Rose Mary Johnson: "Just kind of livin' up my dream"
Jayson Tatum was just happy to be in the NBA. By his own admission, he did not see notching up 10,000 career points after being drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2017. But six years into the league, the forward, who had a meteoric rise, reached a new milestone in the team's 124-111 win over the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on Saturday.
Speaking to the media in the aftermath of landmark achievement, Tatum revealed how it felt to share the "cool" moment with his mother, Brandy Cole, and his grandmother, Rose Mary Johnson.
"I remember getting drafted. Time has gone by fast and I am just trying to stay in the present. 10,000 points sounds crazy. It's just kind of livin' up on my dream, and to share that moment with mom and grandma was cool."
The feat meant that the 25-year-old is now the youngest player in franchise history to score 10,000 points, surpassing Antoine Walker, who held the record. He was 26 when he hit the milestone.
The moment came in the second quarter when Tatum drove into the lane with 5:05 remaining. He converted the layup while also drawing a foul from the Nets' Cam Thomas. He later knocked off the free throw that saw him get to the number while also giving Celtics the lead. It was a stellar evening for the four-time NBA All-Star, as he finished with 32 points and 11 rebounds.
Jayson Tatum is now the only player in the NBA to reach the landmark at 25
Jayson Tatum's 10,000 career points at 25 makes him the only player in NBA history to record a staggering number of points, coupled with 3,000 rebounds, and 1,000 three-pointers at 25.
The Celtics superstar is coming off a solid season last year, where he averaged a career-high 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. He's picked up from where he left off this season, propping up 29.8 points, 4.0 assists, and 9.3 rebounds in four games.
His contributions have ensured that Boston has remained undefeated in all of their games so far this season and is the only team in the league to stay that way.
Tatum's achievement also drew high praise from head coach Joe Mazzulla:
He shows up to work every single day. He puts in the work and he dedicates his life to it. He doesn’t miss days. He doesn’t miss practices, or games. And just his open-mindedness and wanting to be coached and wanting to be held to a high standard.
"When you have guys like Jayson Tatum— that you can coach — it also allows you to bring the best out of everybody else and so he’s one of the guys that sets the tone for us.”
With Jayson Tatum hitting a rich vein of form early into the season, the Boston Celtics will hope that he can keep his consistency and help them go the distance.