Jayson Tatum recently came fire after Brandon Jennings called him ‘the softest superstar in Celtics’ for failing to win a regular season or Finals MVP in his eight-season tenure.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla had a hilarious response to Jennings’ comments in an interview with Zolak and Bertrand, implying those words were worth fighting over.
“First thought was, that’s when you use one of your coins. That’s a coin.”
Mazzulla’s coin reference comes from an interview with Zolak and Bertrand in October where he said the NBA should give its players five coins to redeem over a season if they want to fight a player.
“What if we all walked around with like five coins, right? And at any point in time, you can just hand one out, and you just challenge a guy to like, combat. If you do pull a coin on a guy and he beats you up, like, that’s your fault. You’ve got to either train harder, or pick and choose your coins better.”
Mazzulla has a penchant for amazing quotes in his media appearances, with this joining that long list. He stuck up for Tatum in a boisterous fashion, dismissing people’s opinions and reaffirming Tatum’s status as a Celtics legend.
“It’s unfortunate that him in particular, but (also) players in general, feel like they have to fight for that constant affirmation. So, the thing that I try to do the most is like, we don’t have to be affirmed by other people’s opinions… Jayson is an unbelievable player, a great player, and one of the best Celtics of all time. And the facts speak for themselves.”
“We just don’t have to be affirmed by other people’s opinions, especially when they’re not in the arena. At the end of the day, that opinion has absolutely no ramifications on his career, his path, the game tomorrow, practice. It just doesn’t really mean anything.
“In the arena, you have a choice to decide how you’re going to deal with the power of other people’s words. They’re just words. But nothing should ever be taken away from that guy’s career, in my opinion. The reason why he gets that is because of how good he is.”
Joe Mazzulla on Brandon Jennings labeling Tatum as soft: That's when you use a coin@Marc_Bertrand @scottzolak @Tim_McKone @TMorgan985 @tylermilliken_ @kfabrizio985 pic.twitter.com/NvjHBnQvQO
— Zolak & Bertrand (@ZoandBertrand) January 9, 2025
Tatum is a Boston Celtics legend. While he’s still miles off someone like Larry Bird or Paul Pierce, Tatum has proven over the last eight seasons that he’s one of the best players to wear the iconic green jersey.
The 26-year-old has a lot left to prove but has come under regular criticism for failing to win an MVP and losing Finals MVP to Jaylen Brown last season. Despite that, Tatum is a five-time NBA All-Star, three-time First-Team All-NBA selection, and two-time Olympic Gold medallist.
Jennings made his comments on Gilbert Arenas’ ‘Gil’s Arena’ show in an argument over Tatum’s status as an NBA superstar.
“Softest Boston Celtics superstar ever… If you’re so tough, why you didn’t get Finals MVP last year? Why did you let your running mate (Jaylen Brown) do it? If you are so tough, if you do all this, why didn’t you get it? Why you didn’t get it?”
Tatum reacted to this comment with a passive-aggressive post on Instagram, mocking what Jennings had to say. He’s averaging 28.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists this season, as the Celtics look like bonafide contenders as the No. 2 seed in the East with a 27-10 record.
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