Jayson Tatum celebrated the holiday by etching his name deeper into Boston Celtics history books.
The Boston star entered Saturday's matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks needing just 20 points to surpass Paul Pierce for the second-most points ever scored by a Celtic before turning 25. Tatum, unsurprisingly, made quick work of that feat, moving ahead of “The Truth” with a layup early in the fourth quarter of a typically competitive affair against the reigning NBA champions.
23-year-old Jayson Tatum enters today's game against the Bucks (2:30 ET on ABC) just 20 points away from passing Paul Pierce for the 2nd-most points before turning 25 in Celtics history. pic.twitter.com/1SJbcEMru3
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 25, 2021
Making Tatum's feat all the more impressive is that he still has ample time to not just pad his lead over Pierce, but overtake Antoine Walker as Boston's all-time leading scorer under 25.
Tatum turns 24 in March, giving him the remainder of 2021-22 and nearly all of next season to make up some 1,200 points between he and Pierce's former teammate. Tatum has scored more points than that in every season of his career but his NBA debut; the Celtics' under-25 scoring record will be his sooner or later, health permitting.
Pierce, the 2008 NBA Finals MVP, retired in 2017 as Boston's second all-time leading scorer, with 24,201 points. Tatum has a long way to go to catch him in that capacity. But considering how productive he's been since he was a teenaged rookie, no one would be surprised if Tatum ultimately sits at the top once his career is finally finished.
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