"Not putting the “Green Gooner” in those talks": Fans react as Jayson Tatum aims for LeBron James & Steph Curry-level legacy

With an NBA championship and two Olympic gold medals on his resume, Jayson Tatum hopes that his name will be mentioned one day alongside greats like LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.

In recent weeks, there has been much discussion about who will be the next face of the NBA. Although players like James, Curry, and Durant still can influence winning at the highest level, they are all approaching the twilight stages of their careers.

Given that, there's been some talk about players like Victor Wembanyama becoming the next face of the NBA and Anthony Edwards's desire to avoid stepping into the role.

Tatum, who spoke with NBC Sports Boston after the win against the Philadelphia 76ers, said one day he hopes the next generation will view him the same way players from his era view all-time greats like James, Curry and Durant.

In response to his comments, the NBA community was quick to weigh in:

"We are not putting the “Green Gooner” in those kind of talks," - One wrote.

"Tatum hasn’t been top 3 in the league yet with guys like Luka jokic and Shai it’s gonna be really hard to come close to that," - Another added.

"that’s why they never will. Lebron, Steph and KD never wanted to be anyone but themselves. Made their own way," - One wrote.

Others doubted his claim as well:

"Sorry Jayson. On behalf of the entire world, exactly 0 people will view you that way," - One wrote.

"I aint got the heart to tell em," - Another joked.

---

Jayson Tatum aspires to reach Boston Celtics legend status alongside Larry Bird

In his postgame interview on Thursday, Jayson Tatum expressed his desire to be mentioned alongside all-time greats such as LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant. He stated that he wants to be recognized as one of the greatest players in Boston Celtics history.

Tatum name-dropped Larry Bird as a player he aims to be mentioned alongside one day. Of course, he knows that Bird's resume — three NBA titles, two finals MVP awards, and three regular-season MVP awards — will be hard to match.

"Wearing a Celtics uniform comes with a lot of pride. The best Celtic ever is Larry Bird, and even if I never reach that -- maybe I do, maybe I don't -- you aspire to chase that guy," Tatum said. (1:31 onwards)

"It comes with a level of focus and motivation every single day to be the best you can be, and wherever the chips fall, just knowing that you gave it your all, you can be OK with that."

While Jayson Tatum hasn't been in the MVP conversation this year, if he and the Celtics can go back-to-back as NBA champs, he would be two-thirds of the way to tying Bird's three championships.

Boston is second in the Eastern Conference, 5.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite that, the team is a betting favorite to win it all on FanDuel.