Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum and Florida Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk were classmates
The Florida Panthers are on the verge of winning the Stanley Cup. The Boston Celtics won the NBA championship.
And arguably the two best players on each team — the Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk and the Celtics' Jayson Tatum — were freshmen classmates in high school.
The future stars, who are now both 26 years old, knew each other while attending Chaminade College Preparatory School near St. Louis, Missouri.
Tkachuk told the Calgary Sun that the two had their futures planned even back then. “We always joked around that when we were older we’d be each other’s agent in each other’s sport,” he said. “That would not have been a good decision," he joked.
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Tatum said he remembered that back then Tkachuk was funny. “I mean, he had a lot of jokes and he liked to play a lot. I wouldn’t say he got in trouble, though, but he was a funny kid,” according to Pinkvilla.com.
Here's a video of the stars when they were freshmen.
As the finals in the NHL and NBA started, both stars said they were rooting for their former classmates' teams to win.
“I’m a big Matthew fan. We went to school together. I actually watched him win last night,” Tatum told Sports Illustrated after Florida took Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals against Edmonton. “Trying to learn and understand the rules in the game of hockey more and more. I got to watch the game last night. They won. Like I said, I’m extremely happy for him and his family. Hopefully, they win it all.”
Tkachuk, whose father Keith played for the St. Louis Blues while he was in high school, said he was rooting for the Celtics.
"I think it would be unreal for Chaminade and all of St. Louis if we can both win it,” Tkachuk added. “Yeah, I’m definitely cheering for him. Definitely.”
Tkachuk left Chaminade after the ninth grade for the United States National Development Program, according to NHL.com. Tatum's No. 22 was retired by the school two years after he graduated in 2016. Tatum went on to play for Duke.
The Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, June 17 to win the series 4 games to 1. Boston won its NBA-record 18th NBA title.
The Panthers are up 3-1 against the Edmonton Oilers in their best-of-seven series. Florida is seeking its first-ever NHL title and can wrap it up Tuesday, June 18 at home.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Celtics' Jayson Tatum, Florida Panthers Keith Tkachuk were classmates
