How Jayson Tatum and the 2017 NBA draft fuels the storied Celtics-Lakers rivalry

The 2017 NBA draft is a defining moment in the Lakers-Celtics rivalry. Jayson Tatum, who was snubbed by the Lakers, has become a cornerstone for the Celtics.

Magic Johnson said Tatum refused to work out for the Lakers. Tatum's camp says that isn't true. Here's what happened -- and why the 2017 draft is a now defining moment in Lakers-Celtics lore.

MONTHS REMOVED FROM a second-round exit in the NCAA tournament, ending his freshman season at Duke University, 19-year-old Jayson Tatum relocated from Cameron Indoor Stadium to a tiny gym in Playa del Rey, California, to continue his path toward his dream job in the NBA.

It was May 2017. Three teams -- the Boston Celtics (who held the No. 1 pick), the Philadelphia 76ers (No. 3) and the Phoenix Suns (No. 4) -- sent groups to observe the 6-foot-8 standout at St. Bernard High School, just north of Los Angeles International Airport.

The one team who didn't? The one whose practice facility is just five miles down the road: the Los Angeles Lakers.

The other contingents flew into town to observe the workouts run by Tatum's longtime trainer Drew Hanlen. The Suns and Celtics later scheduled a second look, with Tatum flying to visit them.

The Lakers, who had the No. 2 pick, were noticeably absent. Tatum, whose childhood bedroom in St. Louis doubled as a Kobe Bryant shrine, felt snubbed. "That was kind of devastating," Tatum told the Club 520 Podcast, hosted by Jeff Teague, in November.

He'd hoped to accomplish one of two goals in the draft, sources told ESPN: either go No. 1 or be selected by the Lakers to follow in Bryant's footsteps, just a year after the all-time great retired from the league.

Neither happened.

Instead, Tatum ended up in green and white -- at the No. 3 pick. The Celtics moved down in the draft and still got the player they wanted -- the player who has become a cornerstone in their rise back to the top of the league, and who just last summer helped them take back the lead in the category these storied franchises value most: championships.

Tatum was still on the board on draft night when the Lakers picked at No. 2. They didn't take him, a sliding-doors moment that might have been avoided with a different approach from a front office that was installed in the middle of Tatum's lone college season.

What is certain, as the two teams prepare to meet Thursday in Los Angeles, is that the 2017 draft has become a defining moment in the NBA's greatest rivalry.

Jayson Tatum is a five-time All-Star for the Boston Celtics and has led the team to seven straight playoff appearances.