Before being drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2017, Jayson Tatum disliked the city for robbing the Los Angeles Lakers and St. Louis Rams of championships in various sports.
Despite idolizing the late Kobe Bryant as a kid, the Lakers overlooked Tatum with the number two pick — selecting Lonzo Ball instead. They didn’t even give the former Blue Devil a workout. I mean, how many players can say they had to opportunity to become the next franchise player of their favorite team’s rival?
At the time, Magic Johnson (who was the Lakers’ President of Basketball Operations) was enamored with UCLA star Ball. That infatuation allowed the Celtics to get the steal of the draft, especially after they had traded back after securing the first overall pick in the lottery.
Although Boston has fallen short of Banner 18, Tatum has blossomed into a borderline superstar, earning four All-Star selections and two All-NBA First-Team honors. He’s led the C’s to six straight playoff appearances from 2018 to 2023, including a Finals run against the Golden State Warriors in 2022.
A St. Louis Native, Tatum has learned to embrace Boston and now is showing love for the community.
While Tom Brady, David Ortiz, and Paul Pierce were once the faces of Beantown, Tatum revealed he feels “embraced” by Boston and their fans. In a recent episode of the Point Foward Podcast, the Celtics star called the city a “special place” and now has something in store for C’s fans.
It’s been an exciting year for Tatum. At 20-5, the Celtics and the Timberwolves share the best record in the NBA. After signing a multi-year deal with the Jordan brand in 2019, the Celtics star released his first signature shoe, Jordan Tatum 1’s, earlier this year.
During Boston’s 114-97 victory over the Magic on Sunday night, Tatum gave the fans a glimpse of his specialty shoe. Recently, the TD Garden was voted as the number one arena in the NBA, and Tatum paid tribute to the court he calls home.
Debuting the Jordan Tatum 1 “Welcome to the Garden,” the shoe displays a floral print, followed by black suede, embroidered with a Celtics green undertone. Featured are the silver Jumpman logo and Tatum’s logo on the tongue. Pre and post-game, Number 0 rocked a similar pattern in a pair of Air Jordan low 1’s featuring a floral print displayed beneath the Nike Swoosh.
At first, Tatum didn’t fully grasp how special the city of Boston was. However, he’s fully embraced it now and is currently in his seventh season with the Celtics.
With Sunday’s win over Orlando, Boston improves to 14-0 at the TD Garden and remains the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. It’s unclear if or when Tatum’s latest sneaker design will hit the shelves. However, he has released several variations of the Jordan Tatum 1’s that include colorways that represent the city of St. Louis and his childhood.
While many NBA athletes have their own signature shoes, it’s always intriguing to learn the backstory and background behind different designs. For many, it’s more than just a shoe; it’s about painting a picture and telling the story via footwear.
Boston is Tatum’s adopted city. As a sneakerhead, I would love to see these on the shelves in the near future. The Jordan Tatum 1’s currently sell for around $120, and can be found here.
