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Jayson Tatum has obviously put in the work on the court to become an NBA Champion. His comments and quotes following his first-ever NBA title, however, make it clear he also put plenty of practice into his off-the-court celebrations.
Tatum, however, didn’t create any unique celebrations, but rather, riffed on or straight-up copied iconic moments from others.
Across his various celebrations in the hours following the Boston Celtics’ NBA Finals victory on Monday night — interviews, in the locker room, at the postgame party, etc. –Tatum tried to recreate his own version of Kevin Garnett’s iconic “Anything is possible!” moment, took a picture that was a clear reference to Michael Jordan first NBA title win, and quoted both Kanye West and Angel Reese.
Jayson Tatum gonna pay for his crimes 😭😭
This is crazy lmaoo pic.twitter.com/IQumS4M8GH
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) June 18, 2024
“Jayson Tatum went on a plagiarism world tour last night,” said one viral response to the video.
“Jayson Tatum trying his hardest to recreate every NBA title celebration moment he watched on YouTube,” read another viral tweet with over 4 million reviews.
Jayson Tatum sprinting to the Celtics locker room to take the Kobe photo as soon as the final horn sounds pic.twitter.com/B7dWm7T02E
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) June 18, 2024
While Tatum lost out on winning NBA Finals MVP to his fellow All-Star teammate Jaylen Brown, the 26-year-old former Duke star was crucial in the Celtics’ 106-88 series-clinching victory over the Dallas Mavericks, as he led the team with 31 points, while also chipping in 11 assists and 8 rebounds.
According to reports, Tatum’s summer is set to get even better as the Celtics are expected to offer him a five-year, $315 million supermax contract in the offseason, which will be the largest in NBA history.
In the aftermath of their NBA Finals win, the Celtics have opened up as the betting favorites to win the NBA title next season with odds at around +280. With Brown signing an extension last summer and Tatum set to re-sign this summer, the Celtics look poised to be one of the dominant forces in the NBA, particularly in the Eastern Conference, for years to come.