Jayson Tatum has been the subject of criticism at various points throughout the NBA Finals, largely because he’s yet to have a signature performance with the Boston Celtics trailing the Golden State Warriors 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
So, when Andrew Wiggins dominated Monday night in Game 5 at Chase Center, it was the perfect opportunity for internet trolls to dig up an old Tatum tweet that hasn’t aged well.
Tatum tweeted back in 2012 — at age 14, well before going to Duke or being drafted by Boston in 2017 — what now looks like a vicious slight toward Wiggins.
“Jabari Parker is better the Andrew Wiggins,” Tatum fired off on Twitter.
Of course, it’s important to note not only Tatum’s youth in 2012, but also that neither Wiggins nor Parker had entered the NBA yet. In fact, neither had played in college yet. Wiggins and Parker were among the nation’s top high school prospects at the time, with Wiggins ultimately going to Kansas while Parker played for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke.
Still, a lot has changed since Tatum’s tweet, none of which paints the social media post in a positive light for the Celtics star as Boston faces elimination on basketball’s biggest stage.
Wiggins, drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017, has carved out an important role with the Warriors after an up-and-down six-year run with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Parker, drafted No. 2 by the Milwaukee Bucks that year, has played for six different teams, including limited action with the Celtics the last two seasons.
Making matters worse for Tatum: Wiggins didn’t just score 26 points and grab 13 rebounds in Game 5. He also played excellent defense when matched up with his former Twitter skeptic, and showed the exact type of late-game aggressiveness that Tatum has lacked in this series.
If the Celtics rally to win Games 6 and 7, all likely will be forgotten, and Tatum’s ill-advised tweet will spiral back into the deep crevices of the internet as the duck boats roll through Boston. If not, and the Warriors take care of business, Wiggins can have himself a hearty chuckle while holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
