Jayson Tatum shares the valuable NBA lesson Bradley Beal taught him

by **bobheckler** Tue Nov 05, 2019 9:28 am

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/jayson-tatum-shares-valuable-nba-200611404.html

Jayson Tatum shares the valuable NBA lesson Bradley Beal taught him

Darren Hartwell, NBC Sports Boston

17 hours ago

It's easy to forget Jayson Tatum just turned 21 this year, as he seems more mature than his age.

That's because the Boston Celtics forward had to grow up fast -- and had a great NBA mentor to set him straight.

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal also hails from St. Louis and was five years ahead of Tatum at Chaminade College Prep High School.

Beal took Tatum under his wing, but when Beal got drafted in 2012, a young Tatum -- then 14 at the time -- couldn't contain his excitement.

Here's Tatum on an episode of UNINTERRUPTED's "Kneading Dough" explaining his exchange with Beal:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4c9M2hJB19/?utm_source=ig_embed

"I remember as soon as he got drafted, I was like, 'Yo, you gotta get a Bentley, a Range Rover, a big house,' " Tatum told host Maverick Carter.

"He was like, 'Yo, that's not how it works. You're making a lot of money on your rookie deal, but you still have to save because a lot of guys get injured and tomorrow's not promised."

That's important advice for a young kid to hear -- especially someone like Tatum, who went No. 3 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft and was making millions as an 18-year-old.

If Tatum wanted a real-life example of Beal's wise words, he could have looked to former Celtics star Isaiah Thomas.

Thomas was banking on a maximum contract after a career campaign in 2016-17, but that deal never came after he underwent hip surgery in the offseason, and Thomas has been playing on deals near or at the veteran minimum ever since.

Tatum seems destined to follow in the footsteps of Beal, who just signed a two-year maximum extension with Washington prior to the season. But if he gets too big for his britches, perhaps Beal will be there to remind him where he came from.

bob
MY NOTE: Thank you, Bradley Beal.

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