Inside The Celtics

Jayson Tatum Gets Real on Celtics' Trip to Abu Dhabi

It's clear that Tatum truly relishes the opportunity to play overseas.

Matt John

Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum / David Butler II-Imagn Images
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The Boston Celtics finished their trip to Abu Dhabi with their second consecutive preseason win over the Denver Nuggets. Getting to start the season overseas is a rare opportunity to play for international fans, and if there's one player who understands that, it's Jayson Tatum.

After the Celtics' second preseason win, Tatum explained why he values the Celtics' trips overseas like Abu Dhabi.

"For all of us, basketball has allowed us to go places and travel the world and meet people and have experiences that we probably wouldn't have without the game of basketball," Tatum told reporters.

"So, to have the opportunity to come over here and play in front of fans that normally only get to see us on TV or social media...It was special...You got to see how the game of basketball continues to grow globally and the impact that sports have on the world...It was an incredible trip, we had a lot of fun, so, I think it was a success."

The Celtics have had multiple opprtunities to play overseas for many years. The preseason before they won the title, they traveled to Rome. During the Isaiah Thomas days, they played in Mexico City. During Tatum's rookie year, he and the Celtics played the 76ers in London.

The NBA has made it a point of emphasis of making the game more international, as teams have not only played overseas, but many of the NBA's best players come from foreign countries, like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid.

For the record, Tatum's not the only one who feels this way about being overseas. Jaylen Brown has also made it clear at multiple points how much he too has embraced playing outside of the country.

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Matt John
MATT JOHN

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