Los Angeles Lakers: Jayson Tatum picks quartet of Lakers for his all-time top five list

Rising star Jayson Tatum was recently asked who he believes are the best five players ever and his answer will make Los Angeles Lakers fans happy.

Jayson Tatum may not necessarily be the ideal topic selection of most Los Angeles Lakers fans. After all, Tatum is a member of the Boston Celtics, a team that any true Lakers fan despises with all his or her heart.

On top of that, there is another reason bleeders of the purple and gold are not too fond of the one-time All-Star. Tatum performed quite well against the Lakers both times Boston faced them this season.

In their first matchup, the Celtics crushed L.A. as Tatum scored a game-high 27 points to go along with five boards and three dimes. While the Lakers got their revenge on Feb. 23, Tatum still managed to impress and drop 41 points in that one.

That being said, any Lakers fan with a sound mind probably cringes when they think of Boston’s budding star. Although that is true, Tatum just dropped some information that will actually please Los Angeles supporters.

Given the NBA lockdown with the coronavirus pandemic, players have had more time on their hands than normal. As a result, players like Tatum have invested some of their time with sports fans on social media outlets.

Several days back, a fan asked Tatum on Twitter who he thinks are the best five basketball players ever. Perhaps to some surprise, the Celtic gave a list that did not include any former representatives of Beantown.

According to a report by Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report, Tatum did mention four Lakers, though. How about that, eh?

The skilled 22-year-old picked Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, and the late great Kobe Bryant. To round out his top five, Tatum included none other than Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.

The sheer fact that a current Celtic did not choose names such as Larry Bird or Bill Russell may come as a total shock. It might be considered an unforgivable offense in the eyes of Celtics fans.

It is not to say players like Bird and Russell are undeserving. There are 14 championships between those two guys alone and eight MVP awards. Accolades like that are nothing to grimace at.

Nevertheless, the five players Tatum named are every bit as difficult to construct an argument against. For starters, Jordan is widely considered by many to be the greatest baller to ever grace the hardwood. No questions asked.

With respect to Kobe, he is perhaps the greatest Laker ever and is the closest thing imaginable to His Airness. Bryant’s unquenchable work ethic and will to win were extraordinary in every sense of the word.

Albeit some folks will contend MJ and Scottie Pippen were the best duo ever assembled, Magic and Kareem were a deadly combination as well. Johnson’s brilliant passing abilities supplemented by Cap’s unblockable skyhook made the Lakers a dominant force throughout the entirety of the 1980s.

With regard to James, he is an all-around player that continues to dazzle even in his mid-30’s. His combination of skill, size, and speed have made him a virtually unstoppable player throughout his 17 years of service in the league.

Of course, via Sakshi Gupta of the International Business Times, most of James’ success came with Cleveland and Miami. His Lakers resume is not nearly as elite as Kobe’s, Magic’s, or Kareem’s, but his overall track record speaks for itself.

It remains unfortunate that sports are still on lockdown due to the coronavirus situation. No one knows exactly when action will take place again.

In spite of that, it is actually rather comical to see Tatum select not even a single Celtic. It is extremely hard to stay entertained nowadays, yet Tatum’s response to a Twitter user was definitely interesting.

His response, however, is not illogical by any stretch of the imagination. The Lakers have boasted a ton of talent throughout their storied history and that rich tradition continues to this very day.

No matter what side of the coin is looked at, though, it is always a bona fide pleasure getting a laugh in at the Celtics’ expense.