With Philly Using Its 1st Overall Pick On Markelle Fultz 6 Years Ago, Jayson Tatum Breaks Down Why He Loves And Hates 76ers Fans

During a recent question-answer session with Complex Sports, Boston Celtics’ superstar Jayson Tatum was asked a range of questions about his career. This included one regarding the most annoying fan base in the NBA. Tatum responded by talking about the Philadelphia 76ers. While JT was the 3rd overall selection of the 2017 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers had the number 1 pick, which they used for Markelle Fultz.

Fultz has since established himself as a starter but has not made the crazy impact that Jayson Tatum made in the league, right from year one. The 25-year-old revealed that he had a love-hate relationship with the Philadelphia 76ers, which seems to be down to their decision to not draft him. Of course, things seem to have worked out for the best. While the Celtics have failed to win a championship with Tatum so far, they have come close multiple times, even making the Finals back in 2022.

Jayson Tatum claims he has a love-hate relationship with the Philadelphia 76ers

Tatum was asked about the most annoying fanbase due to a recent Khris Middleton interview. The Bucks star had claimed that it was the Celtics’ fanbase that was the most annoying in the NBA.

Tatum instead defended the Celtics’ fans, claiming they were one of the best, and created a good atmosphere every time. The 4-time All-Star was then asked whether he hated any fan base. In response, Tatum named the 76ers:

“Philly had the number 1 pick, so they could have picked me. We got a little love-hate relationship between us.”

“Philly had the No. 1 pick. They could have picked me.”- Jayson Tatum 👀 @jaytatum0 keeps it real while playing “Cap or No Cap” pic.twitter.com/z9Fg7CMCSV

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) October 11, 2023

Claiming to have a love-hate relationship with the 76ers, Tatum talked about how the franchise could have drafted him in 2017. However, they instead chose Markelle Fultz, who has steadily shown improvement since arriving in Philadelphia.

However, Fultz is yet to come close to fulfilling his potential, and is still looking for his first All-Star appearance. The 76ers, who also drafted Ben Simmons in 2016, could have made a mouth-watering trio. While Simmons eventually left the franchise for the Brooklyn Nets, a potential team-up with Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid could have made for a wildly different story. Fultz, for all his steady improvement as a solid starting PG, simply does not have the kind of ability that Jayson Tatum possesses. 

Jayson Tatum came up against Joel Embiid in multiple postseasons

The Philadelphia 76ers have largely struggled to cope with the Boston Celtics in recent years. The two teams have come up against each other three times in the Playoffs since 2017.

All three times, the Celtics have emerged as the winners. The 2017 Eastern Conference saw the Celtics win out 4-1, while the 2020 first-round matchup between the two resulted in a 4-0 whitewashing of the 76ers.

The 76ers came close to winning the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals but ended up losing 4-3. This was despite some top performances from the likes of James Harden and Joel Embiid, although the former’s struggles during games 6 and 7 ultimately cost the 76ers.