In a chat with TNT reporter Jared Greenberg, Celtics star Jayson Tatum set the record straight on losing the Finals MVP to his teammate, Jaylen Brown. While some around the league believe Tatum will come to resent his co-star, the 26-year-old sharpshooter pointed out that he's not the only superstar to have a teammate win Finals MVP during his championship run.
"It just wasn't my time," said Tatum. "I'm not the only superstar to not win Finals MVP. Steph Curry got 4 rings and he only has one. Isiah Thomas didn't win every time, Larry Bird didn't win Finals MVP every time he won the championship. The most important thing was that we won and I know I played a huge role in us winning a championship. And I know that [Jaylen Brown] played his butt off and that we needed [Kristaps Porzingis] for game one... we needed everybody. For me, I was happy for [Jaylen Brown]... I was happy we won and I know that I'm gonna win Finals MVP one day."
Since they first came together back in 2016, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have carried the Celtics to a competitive position year after year. With various teammates over the years, the pair have established themselves as one of the NBA's best duos, although it hasn't stopped the fans from trying to split them apart.
With noise on all fronts and people calling on them to leave, the co-stars have stuck together through it all and it paid off in the best way. But when Jaylen won the Finals MVP over Jayson Tatum (much to the delight of head coach Joe Mazzulla), many saw it as an opportunity to question who was the real leader for the franchise.
Up until recently, Tatum firmly held that claim but as Brown gets more recognition for his role, there's been an ongoing effort to challenge the internal hierarchy. It was Jaylen, after all, who led the way in the playoffs, averaging 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 19 games. It was also Jaylen Brown who won the MVP of the Eastern Conference and the NBA Finals.
Then, in the summer, Tatum was one of the last guys off the bench for Team USA while Jaylen went viral for not even getting an invitation at all. Somehow, the Celtics duo continues to get overlooked and Jayson Tatum continues to get underrated as one of the top players in the game right now.
But as the 5x All-Star has made clear already, he's not really concerned with stacking up his personal accolades. His only ambition is to win the NBA championship and mount a successful title defense in 2025. Going into his 8th NBA season, it could end up being one of his best and that's what he'll need to play like if he wants to carry his team's championship momentum into the new season.
With the best starting five in basketball, Jayson will not be alone in this fight and the odds are high that they are back in this situation again next year. Whatever happens, Tatum is in the business of winning, and if he has to forgo his own personal legacy to lead his team to glory, then that's exactly what he intends to do. Between Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and that whole Celtics crew, there isn't a team in the league that can match their fire-power and Tatum knows it more than anyone else.
