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They say that basketball is a brotherhood, and in the case of NBA stars Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal, the saying is more than a cliche.
The two are both from St. Louis and attended the same high school, though not at the same time. Still, Tatum played for Beal’s AAU team, and they grew up in the same neighborhood. Tatum called Beal a “perfect role model” earlier this year, per Bijan Todd of NBC Sports, and sent the Wizards guard a heartfelt message this week that Beal received during a sit-down interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks.
“Without you, it wouldn’t be me,” Tatum can be heard saying. “You don’t get enough credit, but I’m always giving you the credit … my big brother, man, I appreciate you. You know it’s all love.”
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Beal was then asked about their relationship, and the impact he’s had on Tatum’s life and career.
“It’s surreal in a lot of ways,” Beal said. “Because, for me, I didn’t have that image, per se. To me, my older brother was my favorite player, outside of the [players] in the NBA. So I didn’t have that image of what a pro was like, what recruiting was like. Going through that phase, I’d seen it within my family, so that was my way of learning on the fly. It’s funny, he talks about my AAU team, because he was a part of that … that speaks volumes of his character, and just who he is.”
Beal and Tatum have played together on Team USA, and were both All-Stars in 2021. With Tatum and the Celtics two wins away from an NBA title, it’s safe to assume they’ll have another supporter in Beal for the rest of the way.
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