How Larry Bird is motivating Tatum after championship season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Did Jayson Tatum expect to play more in the 2024 Paris Olympics? Yes. Is he still a bit bothered by the experience? It appears so.
But the Boston Celtics star has bigger fish to fry entering the 2024-25 season.
Tatum already has been asked several times about his surprising lack of playing time with Team USA this summer, and the expectation is that any disrespect he felt will help fuel him this season after he finally won an NBA title in June.
Speaking to NBA TV’s Jared Greenberg, however, the 26-year-old said his primary motivation comes from a different source.
“I don’t give anybody or a situation like that much attention or credit,” Tatum told Greenberg in an interview at Celtics Media Day. “I didn’t need any extra motivation coming into the season. My motivation came from us winning the championship and the company that I joined in doing that. The motivation came from not being satisfied.
“Larry Bird is the best Celtic to ever wear this uniform, and that’s the guy that I’m chasing. Even if I fall short of that, if I aspire to be as great as he was and if you fall a little short, you had a hell of a career.
“My motivation is to chase the best players to ever play — the best players to ever wear a Celtic uniform.”
That’s an admirable mindset for Tatum to have. The seven-year veteran clearly appreciates the history of the Celtics franchise, which has won an NBA-record 18 championships and produced a host of Hall of Famers. In Boston, even winning one title isn’t enough: Bird won three times, while franchise icon Bill Russell won 11 championships.
Tatum is well on his way to a Hall of Fame career, with five All-Star nods, three First-Team All-NBA selections, two Olympic gold medals and an NBA title on his resume through seven seasons. But he and the Celtics have a golden opportunity to succeed where the “Big Three” of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen fell short by winning multiple titles.
If the C’s want to become the first NBA team to repeat as champions since 2018, they’ll need Tatum to elevate his game even more. And that’s what he plans on doing.
“At 26 years old, and as accomplished as I am, I just always feel like overall I can still get better,” Tatum told NBC Sports Boston at Celtics Media Day.
“You haven’t seen the best version of Jayson Tatum. And you shouldn’t have, right? I’m only 26; I should continue to get better.”
