Lakers News: Celtics All-Star Forward Still in Awe of LeBron James Iconic Status

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was blown away by the reception for Lakers LeBron James' over the weekend in Seattle.

LeBron James played in a pro-am event in Seattle this weekend alongside both established NBA stars and recent lottery picks. James shared the court with Dejounte Murray, Jayson Tatum, Chet Holmgren, the number two overall pick in the '22 draft, Paolo Banchero, the number one overall pick, and former All-NBA guard Isaiah Thomas, but it was Tatum who noted how the fans reacted to seeing LeBron in the gym.

In an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, Tatum recalled how the Seattle crowd reacted to seeing LeBron.

“You know, I think I’m a big deal, but when LeBron walked out there, and it’s like I know Bron and we see him all the time, but these people see him on TV, you know, they haven’t seen him play in years. So the kids lost their mind when he walked on the court. That was a cool moment to see.”

Hundreds of fans began lining up outside of the gym on Friday night for the exhibition game on Saturday. All just to get a glimpse of James do what he does best - play basketball.

As he did in the Drew League, LeBron showed out. One of the finest highlights of the day was Tatum and James connected for an alley-oop slam.

In the previous NBA generations, a All-NBA Celtics forward wouldn't be caught dead handing out compliments to a Lakers superstar, but times have changed.

LeBron will host Tatum and the Celtics on December 13th at Crypto.com Arena (TNT). The Lakers visit Boston on January 28th for a ABC primetime matchup.