St. Louisan Jayson Tatum’s fourth appearance in the National Basketball Association All-Star Game was a memorable one.
The former Chaminade College Prep All-American debuted his new signature shoe, set a new All-Star Game scoring record with 55 points and earned Most Valuable Player honors to lead Team Giannis to an 184-175 victory over Team Lebron in Salt Lake City, UT.
Tatum surpassed the old record of 52 points, which was set by Anthony Davis in 2017. Tatum scored his record-breaking 53rd point on a free throw in the fourth quarter. Tatum scored a game-high 17 points in the first half, but he was just getting warmed up as he erupted for 32 points in the third quarter, which is also an All-Star game record.
Tatum finished the game making 22 of his 31 attempts from the field. He was also 10 of 18 from 3-point range. He also added 10 rebounds and six assists in 35 minutes of action. He became the first Celtics player to win the MVP award since 1982 when Larry Bird did the honors.
For Tatum, bringing home the MVP trophy had special meaning as the award is named after the late Kobe Bryant, the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar. Tatum grew up idolizing Bryant as a player and eventually started working out with Kobe during the offseason and the two developed a special relationship.
“This means the world to me,” said Tatum during his post-game interview on NBA-TV. “I was in the first All-Star Game in Chicago when they renamed the All-Star MVP (award) after him. And I remember in that moment, telling myself that I was going to get me one of those one day. This day is extremely special for me to get one of these. Everyone knows how much he meant to me, my favorite player and my idol. So, it was an honor to take this home.”
The MVP performance by Tatum put the finishing touches on what was a tremendous weekend for the four-time All-Star. At 24 years old, he became the youngest player in the history of the Celtics franchise to be selected to the All-Star Game four times. On Saturday night, Tatum competed in the 3-point shooting contest. At the All-Star Game Draft prior to the game, Tatum was the first starter selected by team captain Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
On Sunday, Tatum took the floor for Sunday’s game in his new signature shoe, the Tatum 1, from Jordan Brand, which will be made available on April 7. Tatum unveiled his signature shoe earlier in the day in a photo shoot in social media with his five-year old son, Deuce.
“For me, it was the first day that I got to debut my own signature shoe,” he said. “So, I had a little more motivation to have a good performance. I’d be lying if I thought I was going to get 55, but I got hot in that third quarter and kept going.”
Tatum has been tracking for greatness on the basketball court ever since he played on his grade school teams that were coached by his father Justin Tatum, a former standout player at CBC and Saint Louis University. A couple of other men who played major roles in Tatum’s development have been Corey Frazier and Drew Hanlen, who are two of the top skill trainers in the country. Both could see Tatum’s rise coming from the very beginning.
‘”It was kind of surreal,” said Frazier, a former coach at Maplewood High who now coaches and trains top young basketball talent with the Overtime Elite in Atlanta. “We knew what he was going to be way back then. With all of the dreams he had and all of the hard work he’s put into it, it’s just amazing to see. I can remember all those days we spent at Mathews-Dickey, Maplewood and other small gyms around the area. It wasn’t easy for him, so he’s been battle tested and he was ready.”
Hanlen, a former Webster Groves High and Belmont University standout, works with some of the top players in the NBA, with Tatum, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls, just to name a few. He saw Tatum’s performance on Sunday as another step towards legendary status.
“It was yet another legendary moment from a future legend of the game,” Hanlen said. “Everyone knew he was going to be special because he had the talent, the skill, the mindset and the work ethic. I really believe we’re watching one of the All-Time greats’ career unfold in real time.
“For me, nights like Sunday make me smile because it makes me remember the 6 a.m. workouts throughout high school, the countless hours he’s dedicated to perfecting his craft and all of the other sacrifices he’s made to turn his dream into a reality.”
