Jayson Tatum has no reason to lie about his lofty career goals.
The Boston Celtics forward revealed to ESPN’s Sam Alipour on Thursday he wants to match Paul Pierce’s exalted status in the team’s storied history.
Pierce forged a place among Boston’s sports icons during his 15-year career with the Celtics, setting a difficult target for future Green teamers to hit. Nevertheless, the uber-talented Tatum aims for his own place in the TD Garden rafters and the hearts of Celtics fans.
“I want to win a championship,” Tatum said. “I want to be MVP, I want to be an All-Star, I want to be the next Paul (Pierce) for the Celtics, spend my whole career here and have the city of Boston love me. Because they love Paul Pierce in Boston.”
The Celtics retired Pierce’s No. 34 last February in a moving ceremony at TD Garden. Not only did he play a pivotal role in the Celtics’ 17th NBA Championship, earning 2008 NBA Finals MVP honors, he also sits second on Boston’s all-time scoring list and is considered in some circles as the greatest offensive player in team history.
Having spoken of his goals, Tatum now must continue playing them into existence if he is to become the next “Truth.”
