ayson Tatum was feeling himself Sunday, both during and after his historic Game 7.J
The Boston Celtics star dropped an NBA-record 51 points in a second-round series-clinching win over the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden, then proceeded to troll actor Kevin Hart — a die-hard Sixers fan — in his walk-off interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters.
Jayson Tatum’s epic Game 7 performance started with a mindset shift
“Special shoutout to Kevin Hart,” Tatum said. “I want him to still answer my phone calls even after today. No hard feelings.”
“All right, I’m hurt,” Hart said in the video. “The world knows it. I don’t have to hide it. What I’m not is a sore loser. It’s not about how you win, it’s how you lose. I’m going to lose like a man. I’m going to stand on mines. Jayson Tatum, I hate it but I got to give you props. Brother, congratulations. A friend you are. A true competitor you proved to be today. You showed up. You showed out. You put your foot in our ass.”
Hart then hastily mumbled a congratulations to Tatum and his Celtics teammates for advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals before taking a shot in Tatum’s “honor.”
“What I’m going to do is celebrate you, brother,” Hart said. “You already know what I’m about. I’m about hard work. You put in the work, which is why it paid off. So this shot goes to you. You, Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics. Congrats. Congrats on your win. Hard work tastes different. Congrats.”
Tatum and Hart have a history — the two were spotted hanging out with Jay-Z in New York last summer — so even after Tatum crushed the dreams of Hart’s Sixers, it was kind of the actor to give the All-Star his props.
Tatum now has collected shout-outs from Hart and Janet Jackson during the 2023 postseason, and he’ll draw the attention of more celebrities if he keeps playing like he did in Game 7.
Source: nbcsports.com
