"I would have gone to the NBA at age 19" - Jayson Tatum predicted in fourth grade that he would be drafted by the Suns and play for the Lakers

Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum is on top of the world. Not only is he an NBA champion, but he is also living the dream of representing his nation for the second time in the Olympics. Like all players, he was once a young prospect who aspired to be one of the best in the sport down the road.

The 26-year-old forward recently shared on social media how he predicted his life would turn out when he was still in fourth grade. Interestingly, Tatum never mentioned the Celtics and instead envisioned himself playing for the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Tatum's prediction was close

The five-time All-Star didn't get drafted by the Suns, although his forecast wasn't that far off. Boston netted him with the No. 3 pick of the 2017 NBA Draft right before Phoenix was on the clock. If the Celtics had made the wrong decision to pass up on him, the Arizona-based squad would have definitely scooped him up rather than Josh Jackson, who is currently out of the league.

It's funny that Tatum also mentioned the Lakers , which was understandable because franchise legend Kobe Bryant has inspired him throughout his playing days. But some people may have forgotten that the Purple and Gold had the chance to select the Duke University product with the second overall pick. Instead, Los Angeles took hometown prospect Lonzo Ball.

"Big Deuce" predicted that he would be traded to the Lakers after his first six seasons. But he will already be playing his eighth year in the 2024-25 campaign, and while the Lake Show would love to get him, Tatum is likely going to represent the Greens for the foreseeable future.

Related: "Jerry and I gave him his going-away present - When Jerry Krause gave Scottie Pippen a $20 million parting gift

What a young Tatum got right

Since he still wasn't a teenager when he wrote his predictions, JT would naturally get plenty of things wrong. However, he did nail some of them.

He aced his projection of entering the NBA at 19 years old, as Tatum needed just one year at Duke to prove that he belonged in the pro ranks. Ohio State University might be disappointed, though, to know that he presumably wanted to be a Buckeye.

The three-time All-NBA First-Team selection also got it right that he would be playing for Team USA in the Olympics. He already won a Gold after suiting up for the squad in the Tokyo Games, where he averaged 15.2 points per contest.

Tatum has an opportunity to become a two-time Olympic Gold medalist this year, but the U.S. men's national basketball team has a steep hill to climb in the following weeks because the competition has gotten tougher than ever.

Related: Jayson Tatum talks about what it would have been playing for the Lakers: “I was so close to a dream come true”