Getty Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics at All-Star weekend
Not many teams in the NBA have a heritage as rich as the Boston Celtics. Legends span multiple decades in a city often dubbed as “title town” and for Jayson Tatum, those legends provide fuel to the fire.
Speaking to the media ahead of his third consecutive All-Star appearance, Tatum opened up about the impending jersey retirement of Kevin Garnett, and how he views “The Big Ticket’s” career in green.
“KG was my favorite Celtic of all time. I don’t play like him, I don’t act like him, but you can appreciate people that are different to you, and his swag, and his attitude, he was always my favorite Celtics. So, I’m looking forward to it, he deserves it, obviously for what he bought to the Celtics, so I’ll be there and I’m happy for him,” Tatum said,
Garnett’s jersey retirement is scheduled to take place at the TD Garden on March 13, and will likely occur in front of a sold-out crowd.
Tatum Taking Things a Day at a Time
Tatum is undoubtedly Boston’s most talented player right now and is currently on course to eventually crack the NBA’s top-10 most talented players. Of course, for a player such as Tatum, team success is far more important than individual accolades, but that doesn’t stop the All-Star from dreaming.
“Who wouldn’t want their number retired? I feel like everybody should aspire to have their number retired to the rafters. Because ultimately, that means you accomplished something special. And hopefully, I can be around long enough, and accomplish a lot of special things. I ain’t really thought about it much, I’m more about being in the moment, but that would be incredible,” Tatum said.
Tatum & Pierce in year 5
Tatum – age 23
25.7 ppg
43% FG
33% 3P
50% EFG
8.4 REB
4.2 AST
+12.3 on/off
3 time All-Star
All-NBA (3rd)
Pierce – age 25
25.9 ppg
41% FG
30% 3P
45% EFG
7.3 REB
4.4 AST
+10.7 on/off
2x All-NBA (3rd)
A three-time All-Star at the age of 23, the St Louis native is clearly on track to become a Celtics legend in his own right, but championship success, not All-Star appearances, are what’s going to define Tatum’s legacy in green. But, with his style of play, and dominant scoring ability, there’s every chance the Duke alum finishes his career as the Celtics all-time leading scorer if he remains with the franchise for his career.
For now, though, Tatum’s approach of staying grounded, and allowing his career to flourish in its own time, is the wisest approach he could take.
Garnett Will be Tatum’s Second Celtics Jersey Retirement
During his rookie season, Tatum witnessed another Celtics great have his jersey raised into the rafters. “I was there when Paul got his number retired, that was my rookie year. That was an incredible moment, Paul Peirce is somebody I look up to, somebody I’ve studied a lot growing up, and somebody I’ve really gotten to know over the years,” Tatum said.
Pierce came into the league as Boston’s crown jewel and stuck with the franchise through some difficult years before Danny Ainge surrounded him with Garnett and Ray Allen. Tatum’s story is a little different, but like Pierce, Boston’s latest All-Star has also endured some tough times.
Now, with a roster built around accentuating his talents, Tatum will hope to emulate Boston’s former stars, and maybe one day is discussed in the same breath as Pierce and his Los Angeles Lakers idol, the late, great, Kobe Bryant.
Of course, both of those players have one thing in common: they stuck with their team through thick and thin, and now we hope that Tatum follows their lead.