Boston Celtics superstar forward Jayson Tatum etched his name in the franchise history books once again Sunday during the team’s 114-99 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Tatum scored a game-high 32 points in the victory, giving him 14,014 for his career. Per ESPN, Tatum became the youngest player in Celtics history to reach the 14,000-point mark.
According to Dick Lipe of NBC Sports, Tatum achieved the record at 28 years and 26 days old, surpassing Paul Pierce, who scored his 14,000th point at 28 years and 164 days old.
Tatum shared the credit for his record, telling reporters, “I’ve been fortunate enough to be on some really good teams, be surrounded by some really good players and coaches on the staff that have empowered me and helped me become the player I am today.”
If not for the fact that Tatum tore his Achilles during the playoffs last season, Tatum likely would have surpassed Pierce much sooner.
The six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection missed the Celtics first 62 games this season while recovering from the injury, making his debut on March 6.
Despite the long layoff, Tatum has essentially hit the ground running, averaging 20.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.9 three-pointers made and 1.1 steals per contest in 11 appearances.
Boston is also 9-2 in games Tatum has played this season, and 50-24 overall on the year.
With Tatum tearing his Achilles and the organization trading away key players such as Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis, many questioned whether the Celtics would remain championship contenders this season.
However, the team played well even without Tatum, and with Tatum now back and performing at a high level, the Celtics may once again be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
Boston is second in the East, four games behind the Detroit Pistons, and the Celtics have a huge edge over the Pistons in terms of playoff experience.
Led by Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics reached the NBA Finals in 2022 and the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023, and they won their first championship together in 2024.
Tatum has already supplanted Pierce as the youngest Celtic with 14,000 points, and if Boston wins another championship this season, he will also surpass Pierce with two NBA titles to Pierce’s one.