Tatum joins Bird in NBA record books amid hot start to season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season, Jayson Tatum expressed his desire to surpass Larry Bird as the greatest Boston Celtic of all time.
“Larry Bird is the best Celtic to ever wear this uniform, and that’s the guy I’m chasing,” he said. “Even if I don’t succeed, if I aspire to be as great as him and if you fail a little, you’ve had a hell of a career.”
Tatum still has a long way to go after winning his first NBA championship, but he continues to gain ground on Larry Legend at just 26 years old.
On Thursday, Tatum joined Bird in the NBA record books while help the Cs defeat the Washington Wizards and improve to 2-0. He followed his 37-point, 10-assist performance on opening night with a stat line of 25 points and 11 rebounds in DC
According to Dick Lipe, Celtics stats guruTatum and Bird (1987) are the only two forwards in league history to have at least 62 points, 15 rebounds and 16 assists in the first two games of the season.
Tatum’s off-season adjustments to his shot seem to be bearing fruit. The five-time All-Star is 22 of 38 from the field, including 11 of 22 from 3-point range, through his first two games.
If his 3-point shooting continues to improve, it will be a terrifying development for the rest of the league. It would also help immensely in checking off another item on his career bucket list: his first NBA MVP award.
Tatum and the C’s hope to stay hot when they visit the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night. Kickoff for this game is set for 7 p.m. ET with coverage beginning on NBC Sports Boston at 6:30 p.m. with Celtics pregame live.
