"Tatum doesn't have cache & aura" - Pro Bowler bluntly rejects Jayson Tatum as poster boy for NBA

Former NFL wide receiver Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson doesn't think that Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has what it takes to be the face of the NBA. In a clip from Johnson's show with Shannon Sharpe, "Nightcap," posted on Friday, Johnson explained why Tatum isn't the right player to be the poster boy for the league.

With the retirement of some of the league's best players being just around the corner, fans would look for a new face of the NBA. Tatum is one candidate who some fans think could take over once the stars leave the league. After all, he just won a title for the Celtics in June this year, which adds more weight to his case.

However, Johnson doesn't see Tatum as the right representative for the future. According to the former Cincinnati Bengals star, the Celtics forward lacks a certain characteristic that fans could gravitate to or relate to.

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"Ja [Morant] and Ant [Edwards] could be the face of the league, but Jayson Tatum doesn't have the cache and personality and the aura," Johnson said.

"Look at Magic Johnson, look at Michael Jordan, Look at Kobe [Bryant], Look at the personalities, look at the attitude, look at the aura, the way they carry themselves. [He's] not even close to them. I can see an Ant-Man. Everybody would gravitate towards that."

Johnson explained that he doesn't hate the Celtics star and there's nothing wrong with him. However, he claimed that Tatum doesn't have the alpha characteristics that past players like Kobe Bryant had during his time.

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Jayson Tatum's first shot as a Team USA starter did not go well

There was a ton of buzz during Team USA's first game at the 2024 Paris Olympics. They played against Serbia and fans noticed that Jayson Tatum, along with Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, was listed as DNP. This led to questions directed at Steve Kerr, the head coach of the men's national basketball team.

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"Definitely a humbling experience, right?" Tatum said. "Win a championship, new contract, cover of (NBA) 2K (video game) and then you sit a whole game. Cover of Sports Illustrated. So it was definitely a humbling experience."

Luckily for Tatum, the social media uproar regarding his benching in the first game helped him be included in the starting lineup against South Sudan. In the first period, he was left wide open at the right corner and got the ball. He got up for his first shot attempt, which failed miserably.

Tatum hit the side of the backboard in his three-pointer attempt.

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He didn't have the best game and only had four points during the game. Team USA still got a 103-86 victory. Now, fans are wondering if Tatum will get to play in their bout against Puerto Rico tonight.

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