BOSTON — Jayson Tatum was last to receive his championship ring on Tuesday night as the Celtics celebrated their 2024 championship in a pregame ceremony.
The All-Star forward took the microphone in front of his teammates and coaches at center court after receiving his ring but had to pause for several seconds while staring at his ring.
Ultimately, Tatum was able to collect himself and delivered an emotional speech to the TD Garden crowd taking in the festivities ahead of the Celtics matchup against the Knicks.
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“This is special,” Tatum said. “On behalf of me, my teammates, the organization, we couldn’t have done it without you last year. Let’s enjoy this moment together. I can honestly say to the best fans in the world — let’s do it again.”
Tatum’s final line led to some of the loudest cheers of the night from the capacity crowd and for good reason. With 13 players returning from the title squad, Boston is well positioned to repeat despite dealing with a vastly improved Eastern Conference during the 2024-25 season. The 2018 Warriors were the last NBA team to win two championships in a row. No Celtics team has won two titles in a row since 1969.
The Celtics enter the season as heavy Vegas favorites to repeat with several players returning to the court with a chip on their shoulder despite winning the title. With Tatum being benched for multiple games in the Olympics and Jaylen Brown snubbed entirely, Boston’s star duo has something to prove to the basketball world. With a talented supporting cast around them, they looked primed to be able to make a run at history.
