While Jayson Tatum continues to climb up the all-time Celtics rankings as the face of the franchise, he had gone his entire NBA career without meeting one of the organization’s icons. C’s legend Larry Bird is a private guy now that he’s away from basketball, so Tatum hadn’t even been in the same room as Bird.
That all changed Sunday at the All-Star game in Indianapolis. While Bird played his entire career with the Celtics, he has deep ties to the state of Indiana, playing his college ball at Indiana State then having multiple roles with the Pacers during his post-playing career. So it was the perfect chance for Tatum to link up with Bird, though the 25-year-old admitted pregame Sunday he was “anxious” meeting the Hall of Famer for the first time.
“I got a chance to go meet him and tell him how much of an honor it was to meet him,” Tatum said. “He told me he was looking forward to meeting me. That was crazy to hear him say that. He’s a lot taller than I thought he was. Obviously what he means to the game, what he means to the city of Boston and the Celtics. He’s the ultimate Celtic, so it was an honor to meet him.”
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It’s not surprising Bird wanted to meet Tatum as his stardom has grown in not just Boston but throughout the NBA. Tatum has become one of the brightest young stars in the league as he’s been named an All-Star for the last five seasons. He took All-Star game MVP honors last year, and he followed that up with a 20-point night Sunday in the East’s win over the West.
So while All-Star weekend festivities are always a good time, Tatum got to take home a little something extra with his interaction with Bird. The Celtics legend has limited his time in the public eye in recent years, so it’s always a pleasure to see the 67-year-old at NBA functions.
Of course, Tatum is trying to build his own legacy in Boston. He’s already accomplished a lot, but he’s already in his seventh season in the league as he turns 26 next month. So he’s quickly earning his veteran status as he looks to reach the same highs that Bird brought to the city.
First up is winning that elusive NBA championship, which Tatum and the C’s have come so close to but haven’t been able to reach the mountaintop yet. That’ll be the primary focus for the C’s coming out of the All-Star break.
“Meeting Larry, it was super quick,” Tatum said. “I had told him it was an honor to meet him, and he told me he was looking forward to finally get to meet me. Then we took a picture. So we didn’t get to talk in detail.”
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