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 see the Nets play the San Antonio Spurs.
While he was there, Mbappe was asked to give his 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 omissions were Golden State Warriors 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 last year, not only amongst his basketball peers but athletes from other sports as well.
After helping lead the Celtics to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010 last season, Tatum has taken his performance to an even higher level during the 2022-23 campaign.
Tatum is averaging a career-high 30.9 points, along with 8.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He also has scored 1,080 total points this season, and the only player with more is Doncic (1,201). Tatum is one of the top candidates for league MVP, an award no Celtics player has won since Larry Bird in 1985-86.