Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Talks NBA Legacy, Says Fans Don’t Appreciate His Accomplishments

After an eventful 2023-24 season that saw him win an NBA title and capture a gold medal as a member of Team USA, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum still feels like he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

Speaking to Michael Lee of The Washington Post, Tatum said flat out “no” when asked if he feels appreciated for his accomplishments at this point in his career.

“If you took the name and the face away from all my accomplishments and you’re just like, ‘This is what this Player A accomplished at 26,’ people would talk about [me] a lot differently,” Tatum explained.

Tatum also spoke about how he doesn’t necessarily want to be inserted into the debate for the next face of the NBA whenever LeBron James retires because it’s an entirely subjective thing:

“I don’t really want to insert myself in things that can be debated. Did he win a championship? Yes. Did he win gold medals? Yes. Was he always a part of winning seasons? Was he first-team all-NBA? Those are things that you know are hard evidence. Yes or no. Face of the NBA? They can always debate. But it’s like, I check off all the boxes.”

Last summer was in many ways the crowning achievement of Tatum’s already-stellar career. He helped the Celtics win their NBA-record 18th championship in franchise history with a dominant Finals victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Despite the Celtics’ team success, Tatum didn’t win Finals MVP. That distinction went to Jaylen Brown, though it was a close 7-4 vote from the media.

Brown said during his on-court interview after the decisive Game 5 that he shared the honor with Tatum.

After the Finals, Tatum joined Team USA for the Olympics in Paris. His role on the team was the subject of intense debate because he didn’t play in two of the tournament games—both against Serbia—resulting in head coach Steve Kerr having to explain why he wasn’t on the court in the semifinal game against the Serbians:

“The hardest part of this job is you’re sitting at least a couple of guys who are world-class, some of the very best players on Earth, and on the one hand it makes no sense at all. On the other, I’m asking these guys to just commit to winning one game and then move on to the next one. I have to do the same thing. And so I felt like last night those were the combinations that made the most sense.”

Tatum played a total of 71 minutes in four Olympic games. His high-water mark was against Puerto Rico in the group phase when scored 10 points.

The Celtics had no concerns about Tatum’s summer, as they rewarded him with a five-year, $313.9 million contract extension that is the richest contract in NBA history.

Since being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, Tatum has been one of the most reliable star players in the league. He’s made the All-Star team in six consecutive years, finished top six in MVP voting in each of the previous three years and is on pace for his fifth consecutive season averaging at least 25 points and seven rebounds per game.

The Celtics have reached the Eastern Conference Finals six times in Tatum’s first seven seasons, not including this season. They currently have the third-best record in the NBA at 41-16.

Top Plays of 1st Half of NBA Season