Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum finally addressed months of speculation about his feelings when teammate Jaylen Brown won the 2024 Finals MVP award. This topic has been a major talking point among Celtics fans and analysts since the team won the championship.
According to Sportskeeda, Tatum opened up about the subject on Wednesday’s episode of the podcast hosted by twins Marcus and Markieff Morris. He made it clear that there is no bad blood or resentment between the two stars over the award.
“Even with him winning Finals MVP, I was just so excited in that moment that we won a championship,” Tatum said during the conversation. He added, “I can be 100% honest, there was no animosity, I wasn’t upset.” Tatum showed he’s focused on the bigger picture – the championship itself, not individual awards. He also made it clear he’s confident he’ll get his own award soon. “I know I’m going to get a finals MVP, that just means I gotta win another championship,” he said.
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Tatum’s confidence about winning his own Finals MVP speaks volumes
Tatum backed up his confidence by pointing out that even Celtics legends didn’t always win the award when they won a title. He mentioned that Larry Bird and Isaiah Thomas both had championships without taking home the Finals MVP every time.
The conversation became a big deal for fans because Tatum actually outperformed Brown in almost every category during the 2024 NBA Finals. Brown won the vote 7-4, but Tatum was the runner-up. The debate around how MVP awards are decided often sparks heated discussions among sports fans.
During the series, Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, connecting on 44% of his field-goal attempts. His teammate, Jayson Tatum, put up even stronger all-around numbers, posting 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per contest, clearly leading the team in production across multiple categories.
However, the main criticism that likely cost him the award was shooting efficiency. Tatum shot just 38.8% from the field, while Brown was much more effective. That low shooting percentage likely swayed the voters despite Tatum’s higher overall stats. Brown has been dealing with his own challenges this season as well.
Published: Dec 4, 2025 04:45 pm