Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum revealed that Charlotte Hornets owner and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan didn’t text him after he scored 51 points against the Hornets earlier this season.
Tatum dropped 51 against Charlotte on Jan. 16, and while Jordan sometimes texts the Celtics star after big games, he didn’t reach out after Tatum torched his team.
“He’ll text me every once in a while when I have a big game, but he didn’t text me after that one,” Tatum told Complex Sports.
Tatum, who is a Jordan Brand athlete, is having arguably the best season of his young career in the 2022-23 campaign. Even though he’s signed to Jordan’s brand, the young Celtics star still gets excited when the legend reaches out to him.
“I know he watches all the Hornets games, so he saw,” Tatum said. “Even when (he) does reach out and text me after a good game, that’s still pretty surreal. Even when I see his name come across my phone, it still doesn’t seem real.”
Tatum is an MVP candidate so far in the 2022-23 season, leading Boston to the best record in the Eastern Conference. The former first-round pick is averaging 31.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Jordan, a six-time NBA champion, is known for his fierce competitive spirit. During his playing career, he led the Chicago Bulls to the NBA Finals six times, completing two different 3-peats.
It’s clear that competitive spirit still is within the living legend, as he wasn’t going to give Tatum the satisfaction of a message after the Celtics star dominated his team.
After making the NBA Finals last season, Tatum and the Celtics are hoping to get back to the Finals but this time come away with a victory. Boston lost in six games to the Golden State Warriors in the 2021-22 season.
For Jordan and his brand, having an athlete like Tatum is a huge boost since he’s one of the game’s brightest stars at just 24 years old.
There are going to be plenty of big scoring games in the future for Tatum, as he’s looking to set the Celtics’ single-season record for points per game.
It seems like the Celtics star can count on getting a congratulatory text for his big performances the rest of the season from Jordan, as long as it’s not against the Hornets.
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