Fresh off his first NBA championship, young star Jayson Tatum held back from calling himself the greatest Celtic ever. Instead, during a chat with NBC Sports Boston, Tatum tapped Larry Bird as the franchise GOAT.
“The thing that fuels me is like Larry Bird is the best player to ever wear a Celtic uniform and that's the guy that -- whether it's averaging 30 that one season or having 60 points in one game, sometimes being in the same conversation with him is, as far as records and things like that go. You should strive to be the best and he's the best Celtic of All-Time. Even if I fall short of that a little bit, I still had a hell of a career."
In an era where players feel emboldened to downplay the achievements of the past, Jayson Tatum is taking a different approach. Instead of exposing the "lack of talent" in pre-2000s basketball like Anthony Edwards , Tatum is taking special care to pay the OGs their due.
As a franchise, the Celtics have a long history of success that dates back to their first championship in 1957. NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell went on the team to win the next seven straight which set a standard that is still active today.
From Russell to Bob Cousy, Robert Parish, and Dave Cowens, the Cs have seen a great number of superstar talents wear their jersey and they've seen more success (16 NBA championships) than most teams have in any professional sport.
But out of all Celtics legends, Larry Bird still tops the list as the greatest of them all. The 12x All-Star, 3x champion, and 3x MVP was an unstoppable scorer who could shoot, drive, and handle the ball with expert precision and it was his leadership that delivered three championships from 1981-1986.
He averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 points for the Celtics including the 1987-88 campaign when he finished 2nd in MVP voting with a career-high 29.9 points per game. Both on and off the court, Bird was a winner and he always answered the call when his teammates needed him to take over.
After retiring in 1992, Bird's legacy was untouchable as an All-Time great and he stands today as the greatest player the franchise has ever known.
For Tatum and the modern-day Celtics, there are probably a few things they could learn from watching Larry's teams. With the ultimate cohesion, chemistry, and discipline, the '80s Celtics had everything under control and Larry Bird made it all work with his amazing game.
Tatum hasn't quite reached that level yet but as a champion and Olympic gold medalist at 27, he's already on an All-Time trajectory. If he can maintain his play for years, and bring the Celtics more championships in the process, it could be the last thing he needs to make a case for himself as the greatest player in franchise history.
For now, he still has to prove that he's even the best player on his team and after losing Finals MVP to Jaylen Brown a few months ago , the task is proving harder than he imagined. This next season will be an opportunity for Tatum to not only prove his worth but deliver the kind of season that elevates his legacy into legendary status.
Related: Jayson Tatum Unsuccessfully Tried To Compare Himself With Michael Jordan, LeBron James, And Stephen Curry At Age 27
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