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Jayson Tatum's Boston Celtics secured this year's NBA championship on Monday, winning their finals series against the Dallas Mavericks 4-1. Afterward, a report surfaced that Tatum's trainer, Drew Hanlen, traveled from Athens, Greece to attend Game 5 after training a "new client." The report sparked fan speculation about the client's identity.
Hanlen, one of the NBA's most prominent skills coaches, was seen celebrating with Tatum in Boston after Monday's 106-88 Game 5 title-clinching victory. Hanlen later tweeted photos of him and his longtime client, including some featuring the Celtics' Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that Hanlen took a break from an extended training session in Greece to witness Tatum's first title. While Shelburne didn't mention the name of Hanlen's new Greek client, she seemingly implied it to be Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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"Fun detail from today’s story: Jayson Tatum’s longtime trainer, Drew Hanlen, had been in Greece training a 'new client' for most of the finals. I’ll let you guess who that might be. He flew from Athens to Boston Monday morning to make Game 5," Shelburne said.
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NBA fans on X/Twitter quickly began speculating as such, with many remarking about Antetokounmpo's prospects of expanding his offensive repertoire working with Hanlen.
"Giannis shooting step-back 3s, OMG," @CelticsAdam34 said.
"LMFAO, Giannis [is] gonna start taking 12 fadeaway middies a game," @EthicalHoopz said.
Meanwhile, some considered the possibility of the two-time MVP angling to team up with Tatum in Boston.
"Giannis to Boston confirmed," @BoujeeOp said.
"Giannis to the Celtics??? Yeah, the league's f**king cooked," @TheRealLastTake said.
However, some also quipped that Shelburne's report referred to the "Greek Freak's" brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, a fan-favorite Bucks reserve.
"Thanasis thinks he's slick," @Dreaminof18 said.
"Thanasis [is] coming different next year," @darwinsburner said.
Amid Giannis Antetokounmpo speculation, Drew Hanlen commends Jayson Tatum for winning first NBA championship
Ramona Shelburne's Tuesday report may suggest that Drew Hanlen is working with one of Jayson Tatum's premier Eastern Conference rivals. Nevertheless, in addition to making an extended journey to attend Monday's Game 5, Hanlen lauded the five-time All-Star on X.
On Tuesday, Hanlen tweeted about his pride in seeing Tatum's hard work come to fruition, highlighting his statistical accomplishments.
"NBA CHAMPION!! Fourth player ever to lead the winning team in points, rebounds and assists in an NBA Finals. Proud of you, Jayson Tatum. This is just the start," Hanlen said.
As Hanlen noted, Tatum led Boston in total points (111), rebounds (39) and assists (36) over five finals outings. That made him the fourth player to lead a title-winning team in all three categories and the first to do so without winning finals MVP. The award was instead given to his co-star Jaylen Brown.
Tatum and Brown are only 26 and 27, respectively, and should only be entering their primes. So, this year's championship could mark the first of many for the superstar duo.
