Jayson Tatum’s Larry Bird aspirations will get Celtics fans fired up

Why Jayson Tatum isn’t using his experience at the 2024 Olympics but rather the legacy of Celtics legend Larry Bird as motivation for 2024-25.

Boston Celtics champion superstar Jayson Tatum is pursuing greatness after capturing his first NBA championship, and let it be known at Celtics Media Day on Tuesday. Tatum revealed his shortcomings made coach Joe Mazzulla happy when he didn’t win the 2024 Finals MVP over Jaylen Brown before receiving the first healthy DNPs of his career with Team USA in the 2024 Olympics. However, moving on to the upcoming season, the returning champion isn’t crediting his minimal role in the Olympics as motivation. For that, Tatum points to its storied franchise and one of its legends, the Celtics’ great Hall of Fame forward, Larry Bird, per NBATV’s Jared Greenberg.

“For me, I don’t give anybody or a situation like that much attention or credit. I didn’t need any extra motivation coming into the season,” Tatum said. “My motivation came from us winning a championship and the company that I joined in doing that. The motivation came from not being satisfied. Larry Bird is the best Celtic to ever wear this uniform. That’s the guy that I’m chasing.”

Bird, the Celtics’ three-time champion, three-time NBA Most Valuable Player, and 12-time All-Star, has big shoes to fill. However, Tatum believes that even if he did not reach Bird’s accomplishments, coming close would be a legacy that would stand on its own one day.

“Even if I fall short of that. If I aspire to be as great as he was, and even if you fall a little short, [you’ve] had a hell of a career,” Tatum added. “So, my motivation is chasing the best players to ever play, the best players to ever wear a Celtics uniform.”

“I didn’t need any extra motivation coming into the season… The motivation came from not being satisfied. Larry Bird is the best Celtic to ever wear this uniform. That’s the guy that I’m chasing.” —Jayson Tatum (via @JaredSGreenberg)
Why Jayson Tatum reveals why shortcomings made Joe Mazzulla the ‘happiest person’

Peter Casey-Imagn Images

After Jayson Tatum watched his All-Star teammate Jaylen Brown win the 2024 NBA Finals MVP award, Tatum’s convinced it put a smile on Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla’s face, as well as seeing Team USA head coach Steve Kerr bench Tatum in two games during the 2024 Olympics.
Great players respond well to adversity, which is why Tatum believes Mazzulla is happy to see him face hurdles, per CLNS Media.

“Joe was probably the happiest person in the world that I didn’t win Finals MVP and that I didn’t play in two of the games in the Olympics… I am a believer that everything does happen for a reason. But it was a good experience.”

Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. Josue got his start as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com. He grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media, where he is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.