Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics has millions of fans and is one of the most famous players in the NBA.
But he also has his fair share of critics and people who think he doesn’t live up to the hype.
On Friday night, Tatum was asked about criticism of him and how some people want to poke fun and ridicule him on the court and online.
Tatum apparently feels this is only happening because he’s doing well and getting attention.
“I don’t know. I guess I’m a big deal,” Tatum said, via Daniel Donabedian.
Jayson Tatum was asked about the shots people take at him, including Scottie Barnes clapping in his face and the Raptors posting a picture with Brandon Jennings after beating the Celtics.
He joked:
“I don’t know, I guess I’m a big deal.” pic.twitter.com/ucyZYzhNU0
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) January 18, 2025
Following that statement, Tatum stood up and walked out of his press conference, which underlined his comment.
Tatum was talking about some recent pushback he received from the Toronto Raptors.
During a game against Toronto, Scottie Barnes clapped in Tatum’s face and the team posted a picture of Brandon Jennings after they beat the Celtics.
Jennings has repeatedly called out Tatum and said he isn’t as good as he thinks.
Tatum says he isn’t bothered by all of this and knows it comes with the territory of being a popular, world-class player.
Instead of listening to what some people are saying, Tatum remains focused on being the best player possible and helping his team as much as he can.
He feels they are only talking about him like this because of how good he is.
The critics should be careful because this is a great way to inspire and motivate Tatum to play better.
If the Celtics win another championship this season, it’ll partly be because Tatum was trying to prove these people wrong.
NEXT: Jrue Holiday Gets Honest About Celtics’ Recent Struggles
