NBA ALL-STAR MEDIA DAY

February 18, 2023

Jayson Tatum

Media Day Press Conference

Q. (On the grind of the NBA playoffs.)

JAYSON TATUM: Four seven-game series, that's a lot. So if I had to vote yeah, I would go back to five for the first round.

Q. What's your advice for filling out the bracket?

JAYSON TATUM: Duke. I fill out the Duke side first. Duke all the way to the championship. Then I go back and look at the matchups.

You know, I'm a Blue Devil for life.

Q. Who is the GOAT for you?

JAYSON TATUM: It's close. It I don't know, man. MJ. There's three. MJ, LeBron and Kobe, I think, are the three best basketball players ever, right? You know, whatever order you want to put them in, I'm fine with that, but MJ, LeBron and Kobe I think are a little bit better than everybody else.

Q. (On Jeremy Sochan.)

JAYSON TATUM: I like him. Long arms, very versatile, strong, you know, active. When I played against him in San Antonio, like, last month and I walked away from the game, I thought he is going to be really good for a long time.

Q. What would you be if you weren't a basketball player?

JAYSON TATUM: If I wasn't a basketball player?

Q. Yes.

JAYSON TATUM: I would be a model.

Q. Who are some of your favorite players?

JAYSON TATUM: The guys on my team. JB, Smart, Rob, Al, D-White, Brogdon, Grant, Payton, all those guys.

Q. If you could disguise yourself as a high school player, how many points could you score?

JAYSON TATUM: JV? Eight-minute quarters. I could get 65, 70.

Q. Jayson, what do you think about Joe Mazzulla being named the full-time Celtics head coach?

JAYSON TATUM: I'm happy for him. Much deserved. Extremely -- a great guy. Forget about being a good coach, he is a great guy, good person. I think that really matters.

Q. (On Mazzulla’s performance.)

JAYSON TATUM: We got the best record, right? I mean, he’s got some good players on his team, but, you know, we like the relationship. He helps us, and we help him. We're all in this together.

Q. Which Celtic teammate did you learn leadership lessons from?

JAYSON TATUM: Probably Al Horford. Just how professional he is, right, at 36 or 37. Just how he still is playing a valuable part on the best team in the league, and that comes from his maturity, his -- the way he approaches every day. He has a routine.

And, you know, me and my first year in the league, that's somebody that helped me out a lot. It kind of helped me, you know, realize that I need a routine for my own. Al has been very instrumental in my success as a player.

Q. (On Joe Mazzulla.)

JAYSON TATUM: It's great. I'm happy for him. To be honest, I don't know, like -- that wasn't something that we necessarily talked about in the locker room or was concerned about.

And he and the team, we do a great job of just focusing on the task at hand each given night. Much deserving. Extremely happy for him. You know, nothing is going to change. We'll continue to do what we're doing.