Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum not only missed out on an All-NBA team, but also missed out on a more than $25 million dollar payday along with it. The reasons went beyond just how voters viewed his play this season.
Tatum plays without a true position for the Celtics, and therefore was listed as a guard and a forward on the voting ballots. The former Duke star lost out to a fellow Blue Devil as Kyrie Irving inched out a third-team appearance. The catch was that Tatum actually had more votes than Irving, but was classified as a forward because that’s where he received the most votes.
Interesting twist in the All-NBA voting. Tatum was eligible as a guard and forward and had more votes than Kyrie, who made the third team as a guard. But Tatum was slotted as a forward because that was the position where he received the most votes.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) June 16, 2021
For something so crucial to his bank account, Tatum was a victim of strange NBA rules.
