"Jayson Tatum is the Drake of the NBA"- Former NBA champ calls out 'hate' on Celtics champion

Jayson Tatum has been criticized with impunity over the past three years. When the Boston Celtics lost the 2022 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors, “JT” was relentlessly called a “choker.” It only got worse when the Celtics fell 0-3 to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals last year before losing in seven games.

This year, the Celtics finally captured the championship, their first in 16 years. Tatum played a huge part in the success as he led the team in points, rebounds and assists during their title-winning run. The lambasting didn’t go away as his celebrations after Game 5 against the Dallas Mavericks were turned into punchlines.

Former NBA player Nick Young shared his thoughts on X, formerly Twitter, regarding the negativity surrounding the star forward:

“Jayson Tatum is the drake of the nba the way they hate on him .. now they haten on his celebration this is getting crazy”

The reference to Drake wasn’t lost on hip-hop fans who know “Drizzy” has been ripped on social media in his feud with Kendrick Lamar. It isn’t just the fans who have been taking shots at the Toronto Raptors global basketball ambassador. Even Drake’s contemporaries, associates and fellow rappers joined the fray.

When the Boston Celtics captured their 18th championship, Jayson Tatum was interviewed by ESPN’s Lisa Salters. The exchange was blasted on social media when the All-NBA star shouted “We did it!” Most fans were convinced he was desperate to have his Kevin Garnett moment. In 2008, Garnett shouted “Anything’s possible!” when Boston lifted trophy No. 17.

During the locker room celebration, Jaylen Brown and Tatum also had a moment to themselves. Both kept asking the other, ‘What they gonna say now?’ which was a shot at their critics. The phrase was also used by Steph Curry when he finally won NBA Finals MVP in 2022.

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Jayson Tatum drew flak for referencing Kanye West’s 2005 Grammys Speech

The Boston Celtics’ celebration did not just end at TD Garden. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis and their teammates rolled to a different location to continue the fun.

During the event, Tatum was unsurprisingly asked to say something. With the Larry O’Brien Trophy still cradled in his arms, he stepped up to the mic to drop this:

"Everybody was wondering what would happen if we didn't win. I guess we'll never know."

The line was from Ye’s [formerly Kanye West] infamous speech at the 2005 Grammy Awards. He beat Jay-Z, Nelly, LL Cool J and “The Beastie Boys” for Best Rap Album. The controversial artist did not hesitate to take a dig at the competition and his critics.

Ye’s speech received criticism so it wasn’t surprising that Jayson Tatum got his share of his for referencing it.