Jayson Tatum Made Teammate Furious by Avoiding End-of-Game Turnover At All Costs

Tatum wanted absolutely nothing to do with the pass.

The Boston Celtics took down the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday during the NBA’s Christmas Day slate, 126–115. Celtics star Jayson Tatum had a strong game with 25 points, but his antics in the waning moments of the game may not have sat so well with teammate Derrick White.

With the clock ticking down, Tatum passed the ball off to White. When the point guard attempted to pass the ball back, Tatum did everything in his power to avoid touching the ball and adding another turnover to his stat line. 

White’s pass slowly bounced by Tatum, who twisted out of the way of the ball, and wound up in the hands of Lakers guard Austin Reaves.

White looked both confused and frustrated with Tatum, who seemingly forgot that catching the ball and letting the shot clock expire would have resulted in a team turnover, rather than reflect on his own individual stats. 

Jayson Tatum didn't want the turnover 😂 pic.twitter.com/M96nqgTL3O

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 26, 2023

After Reaves grabbed the ball, White could be seen looking perplexed by Tatum’s decision.

As a result of Tatum’s elusive maneuvering, White recorded his second turnover of the game, something that could’ve been avoided entirely had Tatum just caught the pass and taken the team turnover.