By Taylor Snow
This is Part 3 of a four-part oral history series that details the story of
the
2023-24 NBA
Champion Boston Celtics.
In this segment, the players, coaches, and management give their perspectives on Jaylen Brown
and
Jayson Tatum’s seven-year evolution together as they strove toward their collective aspiration of bringing a
championship to Boston.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have been linked for nearly half of their lives – even if they
didn’t
know it. Back in 2013, when Danny Ainge traded Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry to the Nets for a
plethora of players and draft picks, the Jays became the future of the Boston Celtics.
For the last seven years, their journey together has been more closely entwined as teammates striving for the
same goal: bringing Banner 18 to Boston.
During that time, they could have chosen to go their separate ways. Surely other teams, threatened by their
collective potential, wanted them to. In fact, outside forces have been trying to drive a wedge between the
pair
for years. But they stuck together through ups and downs, and it all was made worth it in lucky season No. 7
of
them being paired together when the superstar duo got over the hump and helped the organization win its
first
championship since 2008.
Brown got a head start on the journey when he was drafted No. 3 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. One year
later,
the Celtics were set to pick at No. 1, but they wanted someone that they thought would be available at No.
3, so
they made a trade. And that’s when then-President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge gave Brown a
call.
Jaylen Brown: I remember Danny calling me. I think I was in Málaga, Spain, or Cordoba,
and it
was like 4:00 a.m. Don’t ask me why I was up. But Danny calls me, and he asked me, ‘How do you feel about
Jayson Tatum?’
I remember I played with him at camps – at the Top 100 camp. He was my roommate at the KD Elite Camp. We
played
on the same team in so many different games. At the Under Armour All-American game, we were roommates again.
So I had a lot of experience with him. I played with him on the same team and there was a lot of respect.
I told Danny, ‘I think it’s a great choice.’
The pair reconnected that July at Las Vegas Summer League, and that’s where their connection began
building.
Jayson Tatum: I remember going through Summer League practice. I was excited to finally put on
an
NBA jersey. I was young. I was 19. I was overwhelmed. Everything was new to me. JB was on the team, and learning
from him, it was a hell of an experience. Obviously we’ve grown a lot since then. But I was just so happy to be
there.
Their potential as a duo was evident right from the start of their first season together in the fall of 2017.
The
two wings stepped up after the Celtics lost their prized free agent signing, forward Gordon Hayward, in the
very
first game to a season-ending leg injury. They helped to fill Hayward’s void and carry the C’s
all
the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Al Horford: I just remember two very, extremely talented guys that right away had an impact.
After
losing Gordon, those guys just took up the challenge.
When we started the season, we lost the first two and then we won 16 straight, and they were a big part of that.
So
right away, I just saw the potential there.
Throughout their first six years together from 2017-2023, the Jays collected more wins than any other duo in
the
league. However, none of those seasons resulted in a ring. They came close. Several times. They made it to
four
conference finals and one NBA Finals. But they knew that their legacy would not be cemented until they
finally
got over the hump.
By the time their seventh season rolled around, they were hungrier than ever. They put all of their
individual
goals aside for the team while improving in every aspect of their games.
Joe Mazzulla: The coolest thing about Jaylen has been his surrender to anything external and the
most important thing is his growth and development as a person and as a player. That’s all he cares about, is
getting better.
Jayson Tatum: You can tell by the way that the game has slowed down for him and the way he’s
making
reads on the offensive end. That doesn’t happen just overnight. It’s a process. And I’ve seen it; I’ve seen the
work
that he puts in.
Joe Mazzulla: It’s the same for Jayson. Every year he just has the open-mindedness to get
better.
Jayson Tatum: It’s special to see when guys put in the work and it translates to on the court.
Al Horford: But more to me, it’s been the leadership, being more vocal with our group, and also
understanding that there’s more than just playing basketball. There’s a whole other element of preparation,
consistency. That’s where I’ve seen their growth. That’s paying big dividends for them.
Although their collective growth was obvious to anyone watching the Jays on a consistent basis, naturally,
negative opinions also arose. Various talking heads, perking up at every minor hiccup, still insisted the
pair
couldn’t win together. They said this year would be no different from years past where the Celtics
would a
strong run before coming up short of a title.
When it became clear that this year’s team was different, even opposing coaches tried driving that
wedge
between the Jays by saying one was better than the other.
But Brown and Tatum just put up their blinders and plowed ahead.
Jaylen Brown: You get to a point where it’s like, you get scrutinized enough for a large part of
your career, it becomes normal. Then it just rolls off you. For me, at least, I can say that. I don’t know if
Jayson
feels the same way.
Jayson Tatum: Yeah, over time, you learn how to deal with things. There was a point, right, in
my
career where things did affect me or would bother me that, you know, to hear people talk about me on TV.
Brad Stevens: I just think with age, you come to realize that some people are going to have
something negative to say, some people are going to say things that are way too nice. And it is what it is. You
just
do your best and you try to get better and you try to be a good teammate, and you let everything else take care
of
itself.
Jayson Tatum: You just have to come to a realization that, for one, don’t take it personal.
People
have a job to do. You have to respect that. They have to go on TV and give their analysis of, you know, things
that
they see and watch, and that’s fair. You understand what the media side has done for the game of basketball and
how
we have all benefited from that.
Joe Mazzulla: At the end of the day, what goes on in our locker room, how we communicate with
each
other, how we build relationships with each other and how we treat each other on and off the floor, that’s the
most
important thing.
Jayson Tatum: We’ve been in this position for many of years of guys trying to divide us and say
that
one of us should be traded or one is better than the other. We’ve had conversations about it and in all reality,
we’ve just had to deal with it for a very long time.
I think it’s part of us maturing as men. We were very, very young coming into this league, and just had to deal
with
all the ups and downs of the success that we’ve had. There’s been positive things and there’s been negative
things
that come with that.
We’re not the first duo to go through that process, and we won’t be the last. So understanding that side of
it,
and just keeping the main thing the main thing, and focusing on the job that we have front of us.
By the time the Jays returned to the Finals for a second time in June, they were champing at the bit to get
the
job done. That much was evident throughout the five-game series with the Mavericks, but especially in Game
3.
Boston had won the first two games at home and were well on their way to taking a 3-0 lead after going up by
as
many as 21 points in the fourth quarter of Game 3 in Dallas. However, the Mavs went on a 22-2 run late in
the
game to cut Boston’s deficit down to one.
In past years, the Celtics may have succumbed to such a momentum-swinging stretch on the road. But the Jays
were
on a mission to close this one out, and so they did by keying a 13-7 run to finish off a 106-99 win.
Brown finished with 30 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, and made a huge tip-in off an offensive
rebound
to start Boston’s response run. Tatum logged 31 points, six rebounds, and five assists, and hammered
the
nail in the coffin with a driving dunk that sucked the life out of American Airlines Center.
Jaylen Brown: We’ve been in those moments a lot. We just needed to be patient, be poised. I feel
like we got some good looks. The defensive intensity ramped up. Officiating got a little bit tighter. But at the
end
of the day, you’ve just got to make plays.
Derrick White: JB and JT, those are our guys.
Xavier Tillman SR.: Those are our leaders.
Derrick White: They are going to make big plays and they are going to make the right play. I
think
that the most important part is just we trust them to make the right play every time down the court, and they
are
facing literally every coverage known to man. They just make the right play no matter what time is on the clock,
and
we just trust them so much.
Xavier Tillman SR.: They willed in buckets. At times, that’s what you need, and they responded.
As soon as the final buzzer sounded, Brown and Tatum converged at center-court and shared a long embrace. In
the
seven years of their partnership, this moment marked the closest they’d ever come to reaching their
goal
of winning a championship, and they wanted to soak in all of the emotions that came with it.
Jayson Tatum: We were just showing the emotions of the game. Two guys that were excited, tired.
Jaylen Brown: It felt great to overcome that with my brother, Jayson. It was special.
Jayson Tatum: We were just saying, ‘However long it takes. Nobody is relaxed. Nobody is
satisfied.’ At that moment, I just told him I was proud of him, and he said the same thing, and that we’ve
got
to keep fighting.
So they kept fighting. The Celtics dropped Game 4, but one loss wouldn’t be enough to throw them out of
rhythm. They came out in Game 5 guns-a-blazing and trampled the Mavs, 106-88. An 18-point victory for Banner
18.
The Jays were once again at the forefront of it all. Tatum recorded game highs of 31 points and 11 assists to
go
along with eight rebounds and two steals. Brown logged 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two
steals.
Either could have won the Finals MVP, but it was Brown who ultimately earned the most votes. He was left
nearly
speechless as he was handed the Bill Russell Finals MVP Award. Tatum, in equally joyous awe, stood nearby
clutching the Larry O’Brien trophy as a storm of green and white confetti engulfed them both.
Jaylen Brown: I can’t even put it into words. Just Bill Russell and what he’s meant for me
through
my Boston journey and his spirit, everything he stood for.
Jayson Tatum: It was great to see him have that moment and share that moment with him. I’m
extremely
happy for him. He earned that.
Jaylen Brown: It was a full team effort and I share this with my brothers and my partner in
crime,
Jayson Tatum. He was with me the whole way. So we share this s— together.
Jayson Tatum: The main goal for us was to win a championship. We didn’t care who got Finals MVP.
I
know that I need him through this journey, and he needs me.
