Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum had an old social-media message from over a dozen years back go viral after he won his first NBA Championship on Monday night over the Dallas Mavericks. The photo contains a teenage Tatum trying to get a ‘follow back’ from LeBron James, who was playing for the Miami Heat at the time. 

Tatum is now 26 and won his first NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics on Monday

Fast forward 12 years, James is winding down his NBA career as one of the best basketball players of all-time. Tatum is one of the new faces of the league, a mantle James has held for the last two decades. The original tweet was posted April 13, 2012, while Tatum was in eighth grade. 

Jayson Tatum posted a photo of himself and LeBron James on social media a dozen years ago

‘Follow back it’s Larry Hughes nephew from st. Louis and Abe and Rj Lil cousin and Justin Son Follow Back,’ Tatum’s tweet from 2012 stated. 

From 2005 to 2008, Hughes and James were teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers. As one of the first NBA veterans to coach the current four-time NBA Champion, Hughes shared his expertise with James. 

Tatum was a standout student at Chaminade High School in St. Louis before spending one season at Duke University playing for Mike Krzyzewski. 

In the 2003 NBA Draft, James was selected first overall, and 14 years later, Boston Celtics selected Tatum third overall. 

In the NBA, Tatum and James have faced off on multiple occasions. 

Both were selected to the American Olympic team for the 2024 Games in Paris, so this summer will mark their first time as teammates outside of an exhibition.