Boston Celtics champion and star Jayson Tatum playfully thanked the Milwaukee Bucks after winning a title. On “The Old Man & The Three,” Tatum thanked the Bucks for trading Jrue Holiday.
When asked about what he thought of the Celtics’ chances after acquiring Holiday, Tatum thanked the Celtics’ rival.
Jayson Tatum when he found out Jrue Holiday had been traded to the #Celtics:
“At first I was like, ‘I can’t believe Milwaukee let this happen.’ So thanks to the Bucks.”
Adds he knew Boston had a really good chance to win the championship after adding Holiday.
“At first, I was like, ‘I can’t believe Milwaukee let this happen.’ So, thanks to the Bucks,” Tatum said. “But yeah, kind of. I knew we had a really good chance. To win a championship, a lot of things have to go right. You have to stay healthy, have to be on the same page, people have to get along, there’s a little bit of luck that’s involved.”
He also praised Holiday for their prior basketball experience together while voicing how confident he was when the Celtics acquired him.
“But knowing that Jrue had championship DNA and I won a gold medal with him, I knew what kind of player and person he was. I knew it was going to make our team better, and we already got (Kristaps Porzingis), and we already had a good team. So, yeah, when we got Jrue, I was pretty confident about what we could accomplish.”
The Bucks trading Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers paved the way for the Celtics to get him. The Trail Blazers entered a rebuild, so they had no use for Holiday.
Jayson Tatum Wished Celtics Had Swept Mavericks
During that same interview, Tatum revealed that as sweet as winning the title was, he wished he and the Celtics had swept the Dallas Mavericks.
“I would have preferred to win on the road, honestly,” Tatum said. “Just because I know what it felt like for somebody to win a championship on my home court. I wanted that get back. I wanted to win in Dallas because I saw the Warriors win on our home court, and that [expletive] was devastating.”
Nonetheless, Tatum explained why he is glad to finally get that monkey off his back.
“For me the most satisfying thing about winning is that in the social media age that we live in and turn on the TV, there’s so many things that they can debate,” Tatum said. “Is he the best player? Is he top-5 or whatever? They can’t debate that I won a championship. That’s something that they never can take from me.
“I sleep so much better at night because it would keep me up. I honestly don’t care what they say anymore because the thing that they said I couldn’t do, I did it, and they can’t take that away.”
Jayson Tatum Wants to Retire With Celtics
After the Celtics gave Tatum a five-year, $315 million extension, Tatum told The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach that he wants to spend his entire career in Boston.
“For me just to feel wanted, and they want me to be here and want me for the long haul. I’ll spend my whole career here and have got nothing but love for the fans, the city, and the organization. You know, we just won a championship, and I want to try to win as many as I can,” Tatum told Himmelsbach in a July 8 story.
Tatum has played for the Celtics for the last seven seasons. In that time, he has appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals more times (five) than he hasn’t (two). He’s brought plenty of success to Boston, but the Celtics have traded their aging stars when they’ve had the chance. There’s no telling if they will do the same with Tatum.
