Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, Brad Stevens respond to report that Tatum is a ‘selfish’ player

While there were indeed legitimate critiques in the article in question, some of the framing did not ring true to the Celtics president and player.

It probably should not surprise that NBA players and the front office of the teams they play for read the articles written about them by the NBA media, but it is a common thing in the contemporary news cycle for the stories themselves to become news through their coverage of star players.

And such has been the case for Boston Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, who was a focal point in a recent ESPN article by Tim Bontemps that cast the St. Louis native as a selfish player according to anonymous NBA sources. And while there is indeed truth to the notion that the franchise relies on Tatum and fellow All-Star wing Jaylen Brown more than is healthy offensively, it has been more a situation born of necessity and habit than poorly-used structure in the team’s roster, or selfish designs on anyone’s part.

Speaking to the media after Boston’s 88 – 87 win over the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night, Tatum shared his feelings in a jocular — but still clearly bothered — tone.