Photo: Boston Celtics/Twitter

Jayson Tatum, a guard for the Boston Celtics, grew up as a huge fan of Kobe Bryant and was excited about the chance to join the Lakers during the 2017 draft, according to The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn.

Despite Tatum being regarded as one of the top prospects following a strong freshman year at Duke, he never got the chance to audition for the Lakers, who had the second overall pick.

Magic Johnson, then the Lakers president of basketball operations, clarified this week that the team already had its forward positions covered with players like Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram, and Larry Nance Jr., so their focus was on finding help for the backcourt.

Tatum admitted, “Yeah, I think I was upset at the time that there wasn’t genuine interest. From my perspective, I grew up the biggest Kobe fan and wanted to play for the Lakers. And Magic explained it.

“They had too many forwards and that was their thought process at the time. It wasn’t like I got any animosity toward Magic or the Lakers. It was just as a kid, I was close to accomplishing a life-long dream, the way I thought it would be.”

The draft ended up being a perfect outcome for Boston, who selected Tatum with the No. 3 pick after trading down from the top spot. Since then, Tatum has become a five-time All-Star and a four-time All-NBA player.

Meanwhile, Markelle Fultz, the No. 1 pick by Philadelphia, is no longer in the league, and Lonzo Ball, picked by the Lakers at No. 2, is only now returning to the court in Chicago after missing over two years with a knee injury.

Tatum reflected, saying, “Obviously it worked out best-case scenario. But I love Magic Johnson. I love what he means to the game. I have no hard feelings toward him. Every time I see him, it’s always love.

“It’s just something that happened and it’s probably a million stories throughout the NBA that guys should have gone or thought they were going somewhere. Everything happened for a reason.”

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