Every basketball player is driven by different factors in their pursuit of excellence, often depending on their status in the league. For instance, a superstar like Jayson Tatum naturally has different motivations compared to a role player.
But what exactly drives JT to put in the work every day? In a recent interview , the newly crowned NBA champion discussed just that.
"Larry Bird is the best Celtic to ever wear this uniform, and that's the guy that I'm chasing, Tatum stated, later adding. "My motivation is to chase the best players to ever play, the best players to ever wear a Celtic uniform."
A legend in the making
Tatum is only 26 years old and already has an impressive resume since being drafted 3rd overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. In the seven seasons that followed since, the 6'8" forward collected a range of individual honors: a Rookie First-Team nod in 2018, an All-Star Game MVP award in 2023, and a total of 5 All-Star selections.
On a team level, JT won a gold medal with Team USA basketball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and another at the 2024 Paris Olympics, albeit in a lesser role. This achievement followed what is arguably the pinnacle of his basketball career: winning a ring with the Celtics after their dominant regular and postseason performance. However, Tatum believes this is just the beginning of his success.
"I just always feel like overall, I can still get better. You haven't seen the best version of Jayson Tatum," the former Duke emphasized . "And you shouldn't, right? I'm only 26, I should continue to keep getting better ."
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Can JT rise to the challenge?
At Tatum's current age, NBA legends like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry had yet to win their first championship title. However, he still has a long way to go to reach their level of greatness. The same applies to matching Bird's legacy.
During the basketball icon's storied career, he won three championship titles with the C's and earned two Finals MVP awards, an individual accolade that JT notably missed in the recent playoffs.
'Larry Legend' was also a three-time MVP, a 12-time All-Star, and received three All-NBA Defensive Second Team selections. Bird joined the elite '50-40-90' club and won the three-point contest at the NBA All-Star Game three times. In contrast, Tatum recently struggled with long-range shooting, posting just .283 from beyond the arc in the 2024 playoffs.
Additionally, the Hall of Famer played a crucial role in Team USA's gold medal win at the 1992 Barcelona Games, while Jayson, as mentioned, had limited playing time during the national team's recent victory.
Overall, the NBA superstar recognizes that reaching legendary status like Larry's is no easy feat. However, there's always a positive side to the journey.
"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," Tatum explained.
Related: "One thing all those guys have is chips" - Jayson Tatum aims to join Bird, Russell, and Pierce in Celtics Mount Rushmore
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