Jayson Tatum’s comments after winning the 2023-24 NBA championship show he’s never bothered by missing out on the NBA Finals MVP award this year.

In a conversation with ESPN’s Malika Andrews ahead of Game 5 of the Finals, Tatum said that while the award is meaningful, it’s not the most important thing to him.

“It’s important, but it’s not the only thing I’m working toward,” Tatum said. “Isiah Thomas hasn’t won the Finals MVP every time. 

Tim Duncan hasn’t won the Finals MVP every time. Larry Bird. Steph Curry has won once. Kobe has won two out of five times.”

“As an athlete, you want to win and achieve everything that’s in front of you. I wouldn’t be upset at all if I didn’t win the Finals MVP. I’d be super happy just to win the Finals.”

Tatum felt it was appropriate, as his teammate Jaylen Brown ultimately won the award instead of him.

Tatum averaged 22.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.2 assists during the Finals, while Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and five assists.

The Boston Celtics forward struggled with his scoring, shooting just 38.8 percent of his shots throughout the series. However, he still led a championship team in points, rebounds, and assists, becoming one of only six players to ever lead a championship team in all three categories.

The others include LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Tim Duncan. Despite not winning Finals MVP, Jayson Tatum is still in a rarefied group of NBA greats.

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Source: USA Today