The upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics have given Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum even more reason to be self-assured. He rejoiced over his first NBA championship win a while ago, which lifted his confidence even higher.
This self-assurance propelled him to make a daring statement at the Team USA training camp which created a lighthearted moment. In a recent video, Tatum made a bold claim about his ability to defeat the prime Carmelo Anthony in a one-on-one match while answering Kiyan Anthony’s question.
Carmelo was a fantastic NBA player, but he never won a championship. In contrast, being a defending champion, the 26-year-old seems stronger than the NBA great on paper. So, like any fierce competitor, Tatum refused to believe he’d lose to Melo.
In a video, Kiyan Anthony asked Tatum, “If you play my pops 1-on-1 in his prime to 11, what do you think the score would be?” Tatum confidently replied, “Me. Yeah, I give him 11-8.”
Although some may not believe it, Tatum’s claim isn’t absurd when considering their statistics. Tatum averaged 26.9 points in his sixth NBA season, shooting 47.1% from the field and 37.6% from beyond the arc.
On the other hand, Carmelo Anthony averaged 28.7 points in his heyday, shooting 44.9% from the field and 37.9% from three-point. They are close in numbers. So, Tatum has good cause to be confident, even if we can’t anticipate how their match will go.
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Jayson Tatum Shares How Playing with the Bests Boosts His Gameplay
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum attributes his elevated game to his experience with Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics. Looking back on what he learned in Tokyo, Tatum claimed his talents were enhanced while playing for the national team. In a recent interview, he emphasized how being among the world’s top basketball players had a profound impact on his development.
In a recent episode of 7 PM in Brooklyn, the newly crowned NBA champion stated, “When I won in 2021 over in Tokyo, that next year, I was first-team All-NBA, I starred in All-Star game, we went to the Finals.”
He further added, “You play USA Basketball, you just come into the league in a different way, cause you play against the best players in the world for six weeks every day. So I think it definitely pushes you going to the next season.” His remarks underscore that the 2021 Olympics marked a pivotal moment in Tatum’s career.
