Tatum paid homage to Beal and showcased his admiration towards him for mapping his path to the NBA

The Boston Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns 117-107 on Saturday in the TD Garden, snapping their two-game losing run. According to NBA.com, Jaylen Brown made up for his partner with a career-high 27 points, but Jayson Tatum battled a bit for the home team, collecting an ineffective 29 points.

Superstar forward Kevin Durant scored 45 points for the Suns, while guard Bradley Beal added 25 points. However, despite the intense on-court competition between the two teams—and particularly between Tatum and Beal—the players’ sole post-game interactions were cordial ones.

Tatum honoured Beal and expressed his gratitude for helping to pave his way to the NBA in his post-game interview with ESPN. As may be seen in Noa Dalzell’s X [Formerly Twitter] post, Tatum made the following comments on the situation.

Two young Saint Louis natives. Few people manage to escape such place. It’s like having a big brother to come out first, give me the blueprint, always return, and be there for me—working out with me and showing me the ropes.

Despite the lack of NBA players in the city, Beal and Tatum, both from St. Louis, succeeded in the sport. Tatum was mentored by Beal, the third pick in the 2012 NBA draft, who cleared the path for him before he joined the league in 2017. These days, the two have a friendship that now includes their families.

Following the match, Beal’s children ran onto the court and threw themselves into ‘Uncle Jay’s arms, who loved them back just as much. The charming exchange demonstrated Beal and Tatum’s friendship off of the court, which goes beyond rivalry.

The two celebrities get along well, but they have also shown the ability to put their friendship aside when competing against one another on the court. It’s also fortunate because they might run into each other in the NBA Finals in 2024. Whenever a title is at stake, friendship is rarely allowed to survive.