Jayson Tatum reaches 13,000 points, becoming one of seven NBA players to hit the milestone before turning 27
Tatum joined names like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Wilt Chamberlain in accomplishing the feat.
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Jayson Tatum joined elite company when he eclipsed 13,000 career points on Saturday night.
Only seven players in NBA history have reached that milestone before turning 27 years of age. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, and now, Tatum.
The Celtics superstar continues to build his already impressive resume at a young age, and won’t turn 27 until March.
Tatum reached the milestone with a three in the second quarter of Boston’s win over the Dallas Mavericks. He finished the game with a team-high 24 points, along with six rebounds and three assists.
Just over one year ago, Tatum became the 15th player to reach 10,000 points before turning 26. That means that not only did he score 3,000 points in just over 14 months, but he also separated himself from a few other names along the way.
Tatum has already built a near Hall of Fame-worthy resume as a 26-year-old. He’s a world champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, six-time All-Star, and four-time All-NBA selection.
And with Tatum’s current pace and having entered the league at a young age, it’s possible for the Celtic to finish his career as a top-10 scorer in NBA history. Of the game’s current top-10 scorers, five are names that also reached 13,000 points before turning 27. McGrady is the only player who didn’t hold pace to reach the top 10 in scoring.
At Tatum’s current pace, he could surpass Anthony (28,289 points) in eight seasons or less. He’d only be 34 turning 35 at that timeline in his career, with plenty of room to climb higher on the all-time list.
For all of the attention Tatum draws on social media, positive and negative, he’s on pace to become one of the NBA’s all-time greats.
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