Superstar Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics was brutally honest about his experience working on Mount Rushmore alongside Bill Russell and Larry Bird.
It’s difficult to become well-known with a legendary team like the Boston Celtics, but Jayson Tatum appears to be on course to achieve that goal.
The 25-year-old has received numerous individual honors, such as four All-Star selections, two All-NBA First Team picks, and even an MVP award from the Eastern Conference Finals. According to basketball insider Jeff Goodman, he still lacks something necessary to rank in the top echelon of Celtics history.
Tatum remarked, “I would love to be on the Mount Rushmore of Celtics.” Paul Pierce, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and those individuals. They created a path. Chips are the only thing those men have. To even be thought of as one of those people, I need to climb to the summit of the mountain.
In Boston, victories are everything. Tatum is correct to believe that in order to have a conversation with Paul Pierce, Larry Bird, and others, he will need to lead the C’s to their first championship in over 15 years. The Celtics lost in the Finals in 2022, and they missed the championship round by one game in 2023, but the St. Louis native has yet to win a championship despite numerous close calls.
Tatum entered the Boston record books during the 2022–23 season by becoming the first Celtic to average more than 30 points per game during the course of a season. With the 2023–24 season less than two months away, he should be on his way to another outstanding year given his present state of fitness and athleticism.
Banner No. 18 is what matters to Boston, not personal records. It also appears to be Tatum’s #1 priority at the moment.