Kofi Inkoom
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum achieved a remarkable milestone in the NBA on Saturday night, solidifying his status as one of the youngest players to do so.
Jayson Tatum (25 years, 246 days) tonight became the youngest player in Celtics history to reach 10,000 career points.
The next-youngest was Antoine Walker (26 years, 131 days).
— Celtics Stats (@celtics_stats) November 5, 2023
Tatum only needed 16 points against the Brooklyn Nets to reach the 10,000 career points mark, and he accomplished this feat in the second quarter with a skillful layup and a subsequent foul.
What 10k points looks like 😤 pic.twitter.com/E3YfG1JOp0
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 5, 2023
In NBA history, Tatum stands as the 10th youngest player to achieve this milestone, and he is also the youngest Celtics player ever to hit 10,000 career points.
Impressively, he joins a select group of only ten players who have scored 10,000 or more points at his age, a fact highlighted by 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Sean Grande. It’s worth noting that Tatum won’t even turn 26 until March 2024.
Tatum’s scoring prowess has been on a steady ascent over the last five years, culminating in a Celtics record of 30.1 points per game last season.
Remarkably, he is the sole player in the team’s history to achieve such high-scoring consistency for a full season.
To put this accomplishment into perspective, the Celtics’ all-time leading scorer is John Havlicek with 26,395 points.
Paul Pierce (24,021) and Larry Bird (21,791) are the only other players to surpass the 20,000-point mark as Celtics.
If Tatum continues to be a part of the Boston team for most, or even the entirety, of his career, he is well on his way to joining this illustrious group.