Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett doesn’t shy away from calling out or showing love to NBA players. He often credits stars if they impress him. On Saturday, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum earned a compliment from his team’s icon. During the Celtics’ game against the Nuggets, Tatum took the ball coast-to-coast and crossed over Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray before dunking viciously despite Peyton Watson’s best effort to block it.
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Garnett loved Tatum’s dunk and gave him props via his Instagram account. He shared the clip and captioned it, “This flush was hard as f**k!”
While Garnett loved the dunk, the referees did not. They called a technical foul on Tatum for hanging on the rim for too long. Players usually hang onto the basket before landing to ensure the coast is clear and it’s safe to descend. Sometimes, they hang onto it to celebrate the dunk and annoy the opposition team.
The referees deemed Tatum did the latter and charged him with a technical foul. Players are fined $2,000 for every technical foul called on them. Tatum will undoubtedly be frustrated about paying a fine for an innocuous moment during the game. It didn’t seem like the Celtics superstar hung onto the basket for too long as the referees deemed it. Regardless, Tatum will be pleased to see Garnett showcasing his love on social media.
Kevin Garnett is a fan of Jayson Tatum
This wasn’t the first time Kevin Garnett has professed his admiration for Jayson Tatum. He credited him for playing a more physical style of basketball, attacking the opposition teams’ basket and dominating mismatches. On a recent episode of the KG Certified podcast, Garnett said,
“Boston’s best players look tougher. Jayson Tatum… he playing through people. Jaylen too. They both are playing with grit, like a presence. You go in there ‘I know you little. You little. Little a** n***a’. That’s how they look like they playing.”
In November 2023, Garnett claimed Tatum was in the conversation to win the NBA MVP award. The Celtics superstar is averaging 26.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, with 32-10, their best record in the NBA. Unfortunately, playing on a star-studded roster hurt Tatum’s candidacy for the MVP award.
However, he is focused on only one piece of hardware, the Larry O’Brien Trophy. After his 38-point performance against the Indiana Pacers earlier this month, Tatum said,
“I’ve accomplished a lot in my career and I’m truly at the point where I want to get over that hump, I want to get back to the Finals, I want to help us win a championship. What I’m doing, I might not win MVP, but I’m just trying to help us continue to be the best team in the league and do my part. If people recognize that, they see it, then I appreciate it. If they don’t, that’s ok.”
Tatum is focused on ending the Celtics’ 16-year wait for an NBA title and he has the roster to do that. It remains to be seen if he can lead them to the promised land and back to their glorious era.
