NBA News: Jayson Tatum reveals which former Celtics champion is his source of motivation to success

After falling just short in the 2022-2023 season with an Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, led by Jayson Tatum, redeemed themselves in the following season, capturing the championship against the Dallas Mavericks.

Following the team’s remarkable title run, Tatum has cemented his place in the conversation of all-time great Celtics, standing alongside legends like Larry Bird, among others.

In a recent interview with NBC Sports Boston, Tatum shared that Bird is his inspiration in his pursuit of continued success on the court. “The thing that fuels me is like Larry Bird’s the best player ever to wear a Celtic uniform,” Tatum said.

“And, you know, that’s the guy that… whether it’s averaging 30 that one season or scoring 60 points in a game—tying his record—just being in the same conversation with him in terms of records and achievements is what pushes me,” Tatum continued. “You should always strive to be the best. He’s the greatest Celtic of all time. Even if I fall a little short of that, you still had a hell of a career.”

Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics celebrate with the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Elsa/Getty Images

Tatum claims he knew when Boston would win the title

In an interview with The Boston Globe, Tatum reflected on the moment he felt the Celtics were destined to win the title. “People always ask me, ‘When did you guys know you were going to win a championship?’” Tatum shared. “When Minnesota beat Denver, that’s when I knew. I felt like Denver was the only team that really matched up well against us. I thought we were going to face them in the Finals, and it was going to be a battle.”

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Tatum added, “Winning a championship is incredibly tough. I’m really proud of what we accomplished. Coming into the next season, we can’t just say we’ll do it again—that would be naive. So much has to go right. Our mindset isn’t ‘let’s win the championship again.’ It’s ‘let’s start from scratch, improve every day, and not skip any steps.’”

Tatum on Jaylen Brown’s NBA Finals MVP

When the Celtics won the championship against the Mavericks, many expected Tatum to take home the Finals MVP award. However, the honor went to his teammate, Jaylen Brown.

Tatum has been nothing but supportive of Brown’s MVP recognition. Despite missing out on the award himself, Tatum praised Brown for his critical role in securing the title.

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Via Jared Greenberg (per ClutchPoints on X, formerly Twitter), Tatum said, “It just wasn’t my time… Steph Curry has four rings but only one Finals MVP. Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird didn’t win Finals MVP every time either… I was genuinely happy for [Jaylen Brown]… I know my time will come, and I’ll win a Finals MVP one day.”