Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics superstar, has had an incredible climb. In his first five seasons, he led the Celtics to three Eastern Conference Finals. And he’s one game away from making his first NBA Finals. Tatum attributes all of his success to another NBA great, Bradley Beal. They grew up as best buddies in St. Louis. However, Tatum’s mother called him out for taking his son to the club.

Beal and Tatum went to the same school and became friends despite being five years different. They share a small brother-big brother relationship. Tatum claims that Beal perfected his job as a big brother. He claimed he was the ideal role model, and he was encouraged to become a basketball player as a result of his influence. However, one of Beal’s behaviors irritated his mother, which made her furious.

Tatum was on Draymond Green’s podcast and he addresses the situation when Beal was laid out by his mom. He says, “There’s plenty of summers where I’d spend the whole day with him. Brad was the first person to take me to the club when I was like 16. He took me to the club a few times. My mama found out. She cussed him out, but it was all love after that.”

Tatum describes what kind of relationship they had. His mother adored Beal, but she did not appreciate him taking his underage kid to a club. She was upset with Beal for taking his son to a club, but it was all well after that.

USA Today via Reuters

Tatum is a three-time all-star and made his first All-NBA first team this season. The Celtics struggled early this season. Tatum was also heavily criticized for his terrible shooting. However, following January, it appeared that they had shifted gears.

They have one of the greatest records since January and established themselves as contenders. Eventually, they finished second in the rankings and progressed to the Eastern Conference Final. Tatum has been outstanding and has established himself as a top-10 player in the NBA. And it would not have been possible without Beal.