Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Not Surprised at Brandon Jennings Callout

Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum has established himself as one of the best players in the league.

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That is why it came as a surprise to most when former NBA guard Brandon Jennings called out Tatum and called him the "softest superstar in Celtics history."

Many were surprised by Jennings' comment, except for Tatum himself. At least that's what he said.

After the game on Friday, Tatum said he was not surprised at all by Jennings' comments.

“Surprised? No,” Tatum said. “I think it comes with being one of the best players in the league, and the more you accomplish, the more it gives people the opportunity to nitpick at things.

“If I wasn’t who I was or at a certain status, people would probably not talk about me as much. But, you know, I’m not the first superstar in league history to deal with this. It comes with it.”

Jayson Tatum on Brandon Jennings calling him the ‘softest superstar in Celtics history’:

“Surprised? No. I think it comes with being one of the best players in the league… If I wasn’t who I was or had certain status, people would probably not talk about me as much.”

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— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 11, 2025

Jennings started this back-and-forth when he appeared on the Gilbert Arenas podcast and attacked the Celtics star. Jennings called Tatum soft for not winning the NBA Finals MVP last season.

"Yo, is he the softest Boston Celtics superstar ever?....If you're so tough, why didn't you get MVP last year."

A day later, Tatum participated in the fun. He fired back at Tatum with a caption on his Instagram saying, “SoFtesT SuPeRstar in Celtic HiStoRy,” followed by a grinning face with a sweat emoji.

Although Tatum has been in the league for nine seasons, it feels like more, as he is only 26 years old.

The St Louis native still has a long way to go in his career and is only getting started.

Prior to the Celtics loss to the Sacramento Kings, head coach Joe Mazulla said he had shown Tatum and Brown timelines of past NBA stars and what was being said about them at the beginning, middle, and end of their careers.

Tatum was asked about Mazzulla's approach to both his star players and said it was somewhat helpful.

“I guess it helps, seeing it, putting things in perspective,” Tatum said. “It’s nothing that I didn’t already know.”

“You have the internet, you can look at some of the ridiculous takes that people on TV have said about some of the best players to play this game that didn’t necessarily age well,” he continued. “When you see some of the comments that they made about certain guys, and you see how their careers turned out, you’ve just got to laugh. It’s just part of the journey.”

This Jennings drama could just be a minor speed bump in what could be another special season for Tatum and the Celtics.

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