Drake Maye praises Jayson Tatum during Patriots practice meet-up despite Duke–UNC rivalry
He even got to speak with Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, which was a big moment considering the two do have a bit of a rivalry. Tatum played college basketball at Duke University, while Drake Maye played at UNC Chapel Hill. But they were able to put this aside for a bit.
'Yeah, shoot, he's a Duke guy, but what he's done for Boston,' Maye said. 'And obviously, I told him it was a heartbreak what happened to him, I look forward to seeing him come back.'
Maye was referring to Tatum's injury, having ruptured his right Achilles tendon in Boston's Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the New York Knicks in May.
The New England quarterback also went into detail about how he had gotten to see Tatum play in the past thanks to his older brother Luke, who played basketball for North Carolina.
'His first start was in Cameron against Duke, and he was guarding Jason his first start,' Maye said about his brother. 'So it was pretty cool.'
But that's not all.
In his first interview on WEEI in 2024, Maye revealed that he compares himself to "an off-brand Jayson Tatum." So, does he still feel that way?
'It'd be way off-brand, but he's got probably a way bigger bag than I do,' Maye replied.
Maybe a 1-v-1 game is in Tatum and Maye's future when the Celtics star is fully recovered from his injury.
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