Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Met ‘Childhood Hero’ At NBA All-Star Game

There’s no question that Sunday night was special for Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

To begin, the 24-year-old made history by becoming the youngest Celtics player to be selected to four NBA All-Star Games. Then came the kicks. Tatum debuted his own signature “JT 1’s” in collaboration with Jordan Brand. And that was all before he even took the floor at Vivint Arena as the first starter selection by Team Giannis.

After 35 minutes and 55 points scored, Tatum set a new NBA scoring record for any player in All-Star Game history. With a record-setting 27 points in the third quarter and 10 3-pointers overall, needless to say, Tatum’s All-Star Game MVP award was inevitable with odds heavily on his side before the start of the fourth quarter.

However, that wasn’t all for Tatum. The St. Louis native added a cherry on top, meeting childhood hero and ex-Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols.

On Monday, Tatum shared the photo with his Twitter followers:

Pujols, who called it a career after the 2022 campaign following 22 seasons played, was in attendance for the star-studded matchup after showcasing his basketball skills during Friday night’s Celebrity All-Star Game alongside DK Metcalf, YBN Cordae and others.

Tatum certainly gave Pujols and others a spectacle they soon won’t forget.

“I’m not too far removed from being a kid in St. Louis with essentially a ball and a dream,” Tatum said, per NBA video. “And dreaming about these moments of being here. And living out that dream, in reality, is hard to describe. I try not to really think about the things I’ve accomplished. I never wanna get complacent. I’m always chasing something, chasing more.”