NBA Twitter mocks Jayson Tatum for bold 'best player' take: "Players sit around Malika and start capping"

Jayson Tatum is confident enough with his ability on the court that he called himself the best player in the world. Tatum and the Boston Celtics have the best record in the NBA at 43-12, but NBA fans mocked the Celtics star for his bold take in front of Malika Andrews.

Tatum was interviewed by Andrews for an ESPN's SportsCenter special and one of the topics they discussed was the best player in the league. He reckons he's the best player at the moment, better than Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid.

"I got a lot of respect for a lot of guys in this league," Tatum said. "Giannis for sure, Jokic, obviously, just won, Embiid, guys who've won MVPs. The list goes on. The league is in a great place. I truly do believe every night I step out on the floor that I'm the best player."

NBA fans called out Jayson Tatum for his hot take, but some admired his confidence. Others just mocked Tatum, as well as Malika Andrews, for calling himself the best player in the world.

One fan joked that Andrews' has a certain effect on players like Tatum:

"NBA players sit around Malika and start capping."

Another fan has the same sentiment about Andrews:

"They need to stop letting Malika interview players they always start gassing themself too much."

One fan disagreed with Tatum but placed him third best, behind Giannis and Jokic:

"He is top 3. 1. Giannis 2. Jokic."

Here are memes on X about Tatum's self-proclamation as the best player:

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Jayson Tatum confident he could be next face of NBA once LeBron James retires

Can Jayson Tatum (left) succeed LeBron James as the face of the NBA?

LeBron James of the LA Lakers remains the face of the NBA despite being the oldest player in the league. He' still one of the best players around, but there's been talk about his potential retirement in the next few years.

So, who will succeed "The King" as the face of the league when that happens? Jayson Tatum reckons he's the next face of the NBA as long as he takes home a championship back to Boston.

"Absolutely and I think the league is in a great place right now, the amount of high-character guys, the amount of talent throughout the NBA," Tatum said.

"The fact that LeBron, KD and Steph are still considered one of the best 10 players in the league right now at their age and how long they've been playing is incredible. ... When LeBron retires, the face of the league, that's tough. But we win a championship, I've got something to say about it. I know that."

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