Jayson Tatum reveals Joe Mazzulla's heartfelt refrain for him

Modified Apr 23, 2025 15:06 GMT

NBA: Boston Celtics at Utah Jazz - Source: Imagn — Jayson Tatum and Joe Mazzulla have a strong relationship (image credit: IMAGN)

The Boston Celtics had to go through a lot to reach the mountaintop. Jayson Tatum has had to deal with the weight of being the franchise player since he entered the league in 2017.

He helped the team get over the hump and made the NBA Finals in 2022; however, Boston couldn't finish the job against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

Joe Mazzulla was tasked to replace Ime Udoka. Being young and inexperienced made it a tough challenge, but he managed not only to lead the team deep into the playoffs but also to earn everybody's respect.

After winning a ring in his second season with the team, Mazzulla has built a strong relationship with his biggest star.

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

In a recent interview with GQ, Tatum revealed that the Celtics coach always lets him know how much he cares about him, even if they're in the middle of a game.

“He always tells me that he loves me,” Tatum said on Wednesday. “He’ll say it on practice days or in the middle of a game during a timeout. It’ll be the third quarter of a playoff game, a very intense atmosphere, and he’ll say ‘Just want you to know I love you, man.’”

Every coach has their approach, and Mazzulla's has worked like a charm for Tatum and the team.

Jayson Tatum wants his Finals MVP

The defending NBA champions started the playoffs on the right foot by taking down the Orlando Magic in Game 1 on Saturday.

The Boston Celtics don't have home-court advantage through the Eastern Conference finals, so they will have to get past the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road if they make it that far.

They've been the odds-on favorites to make it out of the East for most of the season, and it would be a huge task for any team to take the Celtics down in a seven-game series.

Notably, Tatum could have an opportunity to silence the critics by winning the finals MVP award. Some of his doubters claim that his team doesn't need him to win, he's not a legitimate MVP candidate and Jaylen Brown deserved to win the award over him last season.

However, their averages were almost identical, which may be motivating Tatum to be at his best in this year's playoffs.

About the author

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

Know More

Boston Celtics Nation! You can check out the latest Boston Celtics Schedule and dive into the Celtics Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.

Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez