Jayson Tatum played a pivotal role in leading the Celtics to an NBA championship on Monday night, marking a historic achievement. However, fans criticized the Boston star for his perceived “cheesy” celebrations afterward.
Tatum, who joined a select group of NBA players since 1980 by leading his team in points, rebounds, and assists throughout the playoffs, celebrated the Celtics’ victory the next day with a social media post asking, “What they gone say now.”
Yet, many fans were quick to accuse the 26-year-old of imitating celebrations from others. Specifically, one fan pointed out that Tatum’s message had previously been used by Stephen Curry in 2022 after the Warriors defeated the Celtics in the NBA Finals.
“Corny,” one fan lamented. Others chastised Tatum for seemingly trying to recreate Kevin Garnett’s memorable “anything is possible” speech from the Celtics’ 2008 championship win. During an ESPN interview following the Celtics’ 106-88 victory, Tatum exclaimed, “We did it,” but this did not impress many fans.
“Tatum was clearly trying to manufacture his Garnett moment there lol, that really fell flat,” one remarked.
Later, at the Celtics’ celebration, Tatum echoed a line from Kanye West’s infamous 2005 Grammys speech, saying, “Everybody was wondering what would happen if we didn’t win. I guess we’ll never know.” This move also drew criticism, with one observer accusing him of trying to recreate every iconic moment he admired as a child in just one night.
Criticism extended to Tatum’s performance on the court as well, with some noting his 38.8 percent shooting from the field during the finals and his overshadowing at times by teammates Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown, the latter of whom earned Finals MVP honors.
“Superteam carried you,” one fan jabbed. Another urged him to achieve individual accolades like MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
“You’re the only NBA champion whose stock dropped after winning a ring. That’s what they are going to say,” added a different critic.
Despite the backlash, Tatum appeared unfazed, seen happily celebrating with his son, Deuce, after the game.