Soon, the Boston Celtics will have Jayson Tatum back on the floor.
While the star forward wouldn’t guarantee a return in 2025-2026, he was officially upgraded on the Celtics’ injury report for the Friday, March 6, matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. If Tatum doesn’t get the nod to play on Friday, his return is still in the works and will be very soon.
As Tatum works on officially getting back on the court, the NBA legend Carmelo Anthony spoke on the one-time NBA Champion. With a strong statement aimed at Tatum, Anthony went viral and stirred up basketball fans on social media.
What Did Carmelo Anthony Say About Jayson Tatum
Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty ImagesNBA legend Carmelo Anthony dropped his opinion on Jayson Tatum as the Celtics star will soon return.
“JT’s gotta be very mature about this situation,” Anthony said on his podcast. “There’s no egos, there’s no pride. We got a chance to come back and win a championship, so let me just put my pride and my ego to the side for these next three months and continue to let JB steer the ship, ’cause he’s proving that he’s doing it. He’s doing it at an MVP level on both sides of the court.”
“For so long JB has sacrificed everything. Now it’s like JT, what are you going to sacrifice? But now I held the fort down for you and the whole organization.
With Tatum out, many expected the Celtics to have a hard time living up to their typical championship level of expectations. To the league’s surprise, Jaylen Brown is much better than he got credit for in the past.
An MVP-caliber season from Brown, mixed with strong play from Boston’s supporting cast, has resulted in a shockingly successful year for the Celtics.
Some expected Jayson Tatum to return and try to help the Celtics make a playoff push. Instead, he returns to a situation where his team is one of the top squads in the Eastern Conference. With or without him, the Celtics are contenders.
“For so long JB has sacrificed everything. Now it’s like JT, what are you going to sacrifice?” Anthony added. “But now I held the fort down for you and the whole organization. JT has to be very mature about this situation.”
Carmelo Anthony Catches Heat For His Viral Quote
GettyBoston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum celebrates.(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Jayson Tatum’s trainer, Drew Hanlen, fired up the questions…
via @DrewHanlen: The irony of Carmelo Anthony trying to tell Jayson Tatum how to win…
He would later clarify his comment after Anthony responded.
“Melo is a hall of famer, gold medalist & one of the best bucket-getters in NBA history,” Hanlen wrote on X. “In fact, outside of Kobe, he was the player we studied/stole from more than anyone when JT was in high school. My tweet wasn’t downplaying how good he was as a player. It was addressing Melo’s comments suggesting JT needed to take a backseat in order to win. JT is an NBA champion & 14-6 in playoff series. He knows how to win.”
As for the fans…
@Zye_air: Ringless carmelo Anthony giving advice to real NBA champions is the funniest thing you’d see today
@TatumEnjoyer_: Known winner who’s 2-700 in the first round Carmelo Anthony lecturing Jayson Tatum what it takes to win I got it.
@UnofficialBryce: I’m a huge Carmelo Anthony fan but what exactly does “aye P they want me to come off the bench” know about sacrificing to win.
Of course, Carmelo Anthony had his fair share of defenders as well. After all, Anthony is one of the most accomplished players of his generation, despite not winning a championship.
After entering the league in 2003 at 19-years-old, Anthony turned in nearly two decades of work at the NBA level. Eight years of his career were spent with the Denver Nuggets, while seven more were spent with the New York Knicks.
The Hall of Famer sprinkled in runs with the Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Anthony’s comments might not sit right with everybody—but the former NBA superstar has plenty of experience and connections in the league to have a strong idea of what it might take for the Celtics to continue finding success while re-integrating a core high-usage player in the mix late into the year.
Carmelo Anthony Builds Backlash After Viral Jayson Tatum Quote