Jayson Tatum has had himself a highlight summer, but one part of his offseason has received some criticism.
The Boston Celtics star has thrown an alley-oop to LeBron James and attended Draymond Green's wedding featuring other NBA stars, but it's photos from a workout he had with Kevin Durant in Los Angeles that has people riled up. ESPN's Jalen Rose was critical of the perceived message it would send to Jaylen Brown and the Celtics, as Boston were rumored to be in trade talks with the Brooklyn Nets, with Brown reportedly offered for Durant.
However, in an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks -- where he also revealed he played with a fracture in his wrist during the Celtics' NBA Finals run -- Tatum defended his actions.
"It goes back to your earlier question, 'What do you being Jayson Tatum?' They exaggerate everything I do," Tatum told Rooks in an interview posted Sunday. "I've known KD since I was in high school, we were on the USA team together, we've spent five weeks together from (Las) Vegas to Tokyo, we won a gold medal. We have a bond, that's my brother.
"And I'm not too proud to say KD's one of the best players ever. If one of the best players wants to work out with you and I can learn some things from him, why would I say no? If you worry too much about what other people think or say, you're going to drive yourself crazy. And it's crazy that I can't work out with somebody. That's all it was. We were working out together, trying to get better."
It's unlikely fans will be satisfied with Tatum's reasonable answer -- such is the history of sports fandom -- but the Celtics star can put those worries to bed if he and Boston win the franchises 18th NBA championship in the 2022-23 season.
