French star Kylian Mbappe’s list of NBA players includes Jayson Tatum

Kylian Mbappe is one of the best soccer players in the world, and during his recent trip to the United States, the French star went to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to watch the Nets play the San Antonio Spurs.

While he was there, Mbappe was asked to give a list of the top five players in the NBA.

In no particular order, the 2018 World Cup champion named Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston Celtics forward. Jayson Tatum, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Nets forward Kevin Durant. The most notable absences were Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

Tatum’s inclusion on Mbappe’s list is another example of the respect the Celtics star has earned over the past year, not just among his basketball peers, but athletes in other sports as well.

After helping the Celtics to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010 last season, Tatum has taken his performance to an even higher level in 2022-23.

Tatum is averaging a career-high 30.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He also has 1,080 total points this season, the only player with more is Doncic (1,201). Tatum is one of the top contenders for league MVP, an award that no Celtics player has won since Larry Bird in 1985-86.