Jayson Tatum pointed to Memphis while explaining Boston’s pressure, suggesting his résumé would be celebrated far more with the Grizzlies than with the Celtics.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and no franchise carries more weight than the Boston Celtics.
Eighteen championship banners loom over every era of the organization, serving as both a source of pride and a constant reminder of what is expected. For the current generation of Celtics, success is measured not against peers, but against history.
Injured Celtics star Jayson Tatum recently addressed that reality during an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, explaining how the presence of former champions reinforces the standard that defines basketball in Boston.
“We've definitely felt it,” Tatum said. “A lot of times, the former players come back, whether it be Rondo or KG or Paul. … Or you talk about the '86 Celtics. The thing they all have in common is they won. They won one or multiple championships.”
For Tatum, the challenge isn’t a lack of individual success. It’s the scale of comparison that comes with wearing green. He used the Memphis Grizzlies as an example.
“As you're striving to be a great player, the career I have right now, if I had it with the Grizzlies, I would have a statue outside the arena,” Tatum said. “But now I'm chasing people like Larry Bird where the standard is so much higher. You don't want to be the great player of the Celtics who didn't win. Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Kevin McHale, they all won.”
The comment immediately drew attention for its reference to the Grizzlies, but Tatum’s broader point reflected a reality unique to Boston. Few franchises can match the Celtics’ historical depth, where greatness is crowded by names that defined entire eras of the league.
A glance at the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team underscores that imbalance. The Celtics’ legacy includes Larry Bird, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Bob Cousy, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, among others.
Tatum’s résumé already includes a championship, five All-NBA selections, an Eastern Conference finals MVP award and six All-Star appearances. For many franchises, that body of work would secure a permanent place in team history.
In Boston, it is a starting point.
At 27, Tatum still has time to add chapters to his career as he continues recovering from a significant Achilles injury. Even so, the pressure he described isn’t temporary. It is institutional — built into the walls, banners and expectations that define the Celtics.
And as Tatum made clear, living up to that legacy is the real challenge.