Jayson Tatum’s Luka Doncic, Lakers Message After Celtics Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ayomide Adeduyite | Last updated Feb 11, 2025 1:26 AM ET

Luka Doncic made his Los Angeles Lakers debut vs. the Utah Jazz on Monday night. Finishing with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists, Doncic was restricted to just 23 minutes with this being his first game back from injury.

The NBA world has been buzzing about Doncic joining the Lakers, and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum grabbed some headlines with his postgame comments after the defeating the Miami Heat on Monday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Tatum was asked how he felt about Doncic joining Los Angeles, considering he grew up a Lakers fan and has been public about his admiration for his childhood idol and NBA legend Kobe Bryant.

Rather than acknowledging the buzz surrounding Doncic's arrival in LA, the 2024 NBA champion chose to throw a light jab with a succinct response.

"A lot of kids watch the Celtics play," Tatum replied. "I’m not a little kid anymore, so I don’t really watch the Lakers play. I’m a big Celtics fan.”

Jayson Tatum was asked about growing up watching Kobe Bryant and it means for Luka Doncic to be a Laker:

“A lot of kids watch the Celtics play…I’m not a little kid anymore, so I don’t really watch the Lakers play. I’m a big Celtics fan.” pic.twitter.com/wirYZNCutA
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) February 11, 2025

Simply put, Doncic's move was not a focus for Tatum, and he wasted no time letting the world know where his loyalty lies—with the team that drafted him second overall in 2018.

Tatum, 24, helped the Celtics to a blowout win against the new-look Miami Heat on Monday night. Despite his status initially being in question for this game, the six-time NBA All-Star was eventually cleared to play and he led all scorers with 33 points, shooting 50% from the field.

JT got crafty with this layup finishing through the contact making it tonight’s @JetBlue Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/4LcnkxxMNC
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 11, 2025

For decades, the Celtics and Lakers have gone head-to-head for championships, providing some of the biggest superstar battles in the history of the sport: Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant vs. Paul Pierce.

Perhaps a Tatum vs. Doncic rivalry could be up next, as the two already faced off in last year's NBA Finals.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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