Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Admits Criticism on TV, Social Media is ‘Tough to See’

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Jayson Tatum has achieved things on a basketball court many can only dream of, but the Boston Celtics star still takes it to heart when he hears criticism in his direction.

“It’s tough to see people talking about you on TV or doubting you on TV, or all the things they say on Twitter because for one, how much you sacrifice and how hard you work on your craft,” Tatum said at an event, per the Boston Globe‘s Gary Washburn. “You want to be the best. You want to play your best every single night and it just doesn’t work out that way.”

During the playoffs, the five-time All-Star said he tries to tune those conversations out and turn the channel when he becomes the subject of discussion.

Tatum has had a relatively up-and-down last few months for somebody who was crowned an NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist. He lost out on Finals MVP to Jaylen Brown, thus missing what could’ve been a crowning moment. Then he logged the second-fewest minutes on Team USA during the Paris Games and didn’t even see the floor in two of the United States’ games.

If you can still be disrespected at the same time you’re widely acknowledged to be a top-10 talent in the NBA, that’s the zone where Tatum is residing right now.

Maybe the 2024-25 season is when the 26-year-old silences his remaining skeptics for good.