Anytime a star player wins their first championship, it ends the old “Well, he doesn’t have a ring” conversation. Now, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum knows the feeling.
“It has been a crazy summer,” Tatum said, via the Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Was fortunate enough to win my second gold medal with the national team. … And to finally win the NBA championship, that’s something that I’ve been working (toward) for a very, very long time. I’ve gotten extremely close a few times, and finally got over the hump. So that was special. That felt like the weight of the world was off my shoulders after that one.”
Tatum and the Celtics are now known as The Reigning Champions. It’s the 18th banner for the franchise overall.
Earlier, fellow star Jaylen Brown said it was time to get back to work.
“Last year is over, to be honest. We celebrated, we had a good time. It’s been an awesome summer,” Brown told Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, via RealGM. “I’ve been having a great summer, by the way. But it’s over with it.”
That means a title defense is on the way. And Brown will be the first to tell you that those are never easy.
“Now we got the target on our back,” he said. “Everybody’s trying to come after us and I’m like, ‘Come on.’ It’s back to work. And I’m looking forward to next season.”
The Celtics are one of three teams to not sign any outside free agents (the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers are the others). But that’s OK. Boston proved it has plenty as is.
And now this group of Celtics can approach the season without the added pressure of never having won a championship.
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