Jayson Tatum Posts Heartfelt Message to Boston After Championship Parade

Rob Greene | Jun 23, 2024

Jun 21, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics player Jayson Tatum holds the Larry OíBrien trophy during the Boston Celtics Championship parade. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

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Jayson Tatum, as recently as last summer, began to be vocal about his developed connection and devotion for the city of Boston that has grown a lot over time since being drafted. You can see it with the emotion he began to show towards the crowd the last few years. Most notably during his championship-hungry Game 7 record of 51 points in the 2023 East Semis against Philadelphia.

The multi-time All-NBA First Team forward talked about it in the beginning of his championship season on The Point Forward podcast, with Andre Iguodala and old coach and friend, Evan Turner.

“Honestly, I didn’t understand how special of a place Boston was until I got here,” Tatum said. “I didn’t like Boston. I felt like them beating the Rams ended being the reason the Rams ended up leaving. They beat Kobe in ‘08, so I was sick about that. But this is a special place. They love their sports teams, they love their guys. I feel like they’ve been embraced, I feel like they’ve accepted me as one of their guys. There’s a sense of pride, there’s an edge you have to have to play here. I can only imagine the love, the reception, if you hung one of those banners up. It would be incredible — it’s going to be incredible. I know it.”

He broke down in emotion and tears before the final buzzer of Game 5 sounded to secure Banner 18. Attacked by Deuce with an iconic photo of the two and a hug from his mother, the superstar said the feeling still does not feel real, with it all being way more than he ever imagined.

The love is forever mutual with Tatum from day one to becoming the face of Boston sports. And after his duck boat ride at the championship parade on Friday, the five-time All-Star took to Instagram, posting a heartfelt message to the city he stars in.