WELCOME TO BOSTON CELTICS BASKETBALL: Nation’s No. 1 Player, a 7-Foot-9 Giant, Shocks the Basketball World by Ditching Lakers, Warriors, and Cavs — Accepts Jayson Tatum’s Personal Request to Flip Commitment and Join Boston in Stunning, History-Making Move Fans Never Saw Coming
In what’s already being hailed as the most dramatic commitment flip in modern basketball history, 18-year-old phenom Zephyr King, the towering 7-foot-9 center from Houston, Texas, stunned the sports world on Saturday by announcing his decision to join the Boston Celtics, spurning blue-blood NBA franchises like the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland Cavaliers in the process.
King, widely regarded as the most dominant high school player in the modern era—some calling him the next Shaquille O’Neal crossed with Victor Wembanyama—had been heavily projected to sign with the Lakers after multiple visits to their summer training camp. But everything changed after one unexpected phone call from Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum.
Sources close to the situation confirm that Tatum reached out directly to King last week after watching his historic 39-point, 23-rebound, 9-block performance at the National Elite Showcase in Las Vegas. According to insiders, Tatum’s message was clear: “You can chase legacy, or you can build one in Boston.”
That single sentence flipped the future of a franchise.
“I was this close to going West,” King admitted during a nationally televised commitment special, standing beside a Celtics banner, green jersey in hand. “But when Jayson called me… it felt like destiny. Boston isn’t just history—it’s my future.”
The implications of this decision are seismic. The Celtics, fresh off their 2025 NBA Finals win, were already championship contenders. Adding King—a once-in-a-generation rim protector with soft shooting touch and elite passing instincts—to a lineup featuring Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Jrue Holiday (who recently re-signed)—puts Boston on an unprecedented trajectory to dominate the next decade.
King’s high school coach, Greg Harmon of Iron Ridge Prep, put it plainly: “Zeph’s ceiling? There is no ceiling. He’s not just the tallest player in basketball—he might be the most skilled at his size we’ve ever seen.”
The reaction from spurned fanbases has been swift and emotional. Lakers fans flooded social media with disbelief, with hashtags like #KingShouldBeRoyal and #LakersLost trending within minutes. Warriors faithful called the flip a “betrayal,” while Cleveland—who had reportedly promised King a franchise built entirely around him—simply posted a single broken heart emoji from the team’s official account.
But in Boston, it’s a full-on celebration. Crowds gathered outside TD Garden, chanting “We got King!” as green smoke and fireworks lit up the night. Mayor Michelle Wu even declared a citywide “Zephyr King Day” for Monday.
Celtics GM Brad Stevens, in rare form, released a statement late Saturday night: “Zephyr King is not just the future of Boston Celtics basketball. He’s the future of basketball, period. We are honored he chose our city, our team, and our mission.”
If expectations weren’t sky-high already, they certainly are now. King is expected to join the Celtics for preseason training in early October, with his debut possibly coming in a high-profile showdown against the Lakers—poetic justice in green and white.
From Houston hardwoods to historic parquet floors, the legend of Zephyr King begins now. And it starts in Boston.
