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Jayson Tatum shoots in the third quarter of the game against the Brooklyn Nets.
CNN –
Jayson Tatum made Boston Celtics history on Saturday when he became the youngest player to score 10,000 points for the franchise, a record he achieved in a 124-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
“This is something special. That’s cool,” he said afterwards, according to the Celtics’ official website. “I was just lucky to be in a great franchise. I had some great teammates, some great coaches that helped me reach 10,000 career points.”
Tatum entered the game 16 points shy of 10,000 career points and reached the milestone in the second quarter with a free throw after a layup that resulted in a foul.
At 25 years and 246 days, he is almost a year younger than previous record holder Antoine Walker, who reached 10,000 career points at age 26 years and 131 days and is the 10th youngest person in NBA history to reach the milestone.
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
Tatum is the 10th youngest player in NBA history to reach this milestone.
Tatum scored 32 points against the Nets, the fourth time he scored more than 30 points this season, as the Celtics extended their unbeaten streak.
His coach Joe Mazzulla then praised Tatum’s “open-mindedness” and work ethic as he celebrated his star player’s performance.
“He comes to work every day, he puts in the work, he dedicates his life to it, he doesn’t miss days, he doesn’t miss practices, he doesn’t miss games,” Mazzulla said on the Celtics’ website.
“And just his openness to being coached and being held to a high standard… He’s one of the guys that sets the tone for us.”
In the NBA, the Orlando Magic defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 120-101, led by Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, who scored 26 and 25 points, respectively.
The Philadelphia 76ers secured a 112-100 victory over the Phoenix Suns as Joel Embiid contributed his third straight double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds, while the Denver Nuggets defeated the Chicago Bulls 123-101.