Jayson Tatum

After helping lead Boston to a 100-96 Game 7 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday, Jayson Tatum was selected to win the inaugural award. The Celtics superstar ...

Warriors at Celtics Warriors at Celtics Celtics at Warriors Celtics at Warriors Tatum rose to the occasion in Game 7, showcasing why he was well deserving of the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award with a sensational 26 point, 10 rebound and six assist performance. After helping lead Boston to a 100-96 Game 7 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday, Jayson Tatum was selected to win the inaugural award.

Jayson Tatum paid tribute to his late hero Kobe Bryant during Celtics-Heat Game 7.

The C's star wore a purple armband with Bryant's No. 24. They'll take on the Golden State Warriors for a shot at Banner No. 18. J ayson Tatum paid tribute to his late idol Kobe Bryant during the Boston Celtics' Game 7 showdown with the Miami Heat.

In fact, prior to reaching the NBA Finals in Sunday's victory over the Miami Heat, the last team the Celtics faced in the NBA Finals were the Lakers in 2010.

In fact, prior to reaching the NBA Finals in Sunday's victory over the Miami Heat, the last team the Celtics faced in the NBA Finals were the Lakers in 2010. That might make this run even sweeter for Tatum, the Celtics and their typically unforgiving fanbase. So Celtics fans will have to live with a little bit of purple and gold in their Finals run.

Malika Andrews: Jayson Tatum wins the inaugural Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP. Source: Twitter @malika_andrews What's the buzz on Twitter?

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Jayson Tatum sported a purple and gold "24" armband in honor of Kobe Bryant on Sunday as he helped lead the Celtics to the NBA Finals.

And it worked out," Tatum said after the game. My idol and my favorite player. Tatum said Bryant was his favorite player, and the two became close as they worked out on several occasions before the Lakers great was killed during a helicopter crash in 2020.

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum said he studied one of the all-time greats ahead of Sunday's Game 7 win over the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference ...

"Just to have something to show him in the biggest game of my career so far." ... Today, before I took my nap, I do it sometimes, I was watching film and some moments from him and his career." The Warriors have reached their sixth Finals in the past eight seasons and are in search of their fourth title during that time. In a 100-96 victory, Tatum led the way for Boston with 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and he played 46 of 48 minutes, cementing his status as Eastern Conference Finals MVP. According to Jay King of The Athletic, Tatum said he watched some film of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, adding: "Obviously, that was my idol, that was my inspiration, that was my favorite player. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum said he studied one of the all-time greats ahead of Sunday's Game 7 win over the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Celtics star Jayson Tatum guided Boston to the NBA Finals on Sunday night, and earned the inaugural Larry Bird Trophy for Eastern Conference finals MVP in ...

Tatum was a key reason that the Celtics are advancing to their first NBA finals since 2010. Tatum and the Celtics now move on to the NBA Finals to face the Warriors, where the Boston star will look to harness more motivation from the late great in Bryant. Celtics star Jayson Tatum guided Boston to the NBA Finals on Sunday night, and earned the inaugural Larry Bird Trophy for Eastern Conference finals MVP in the process.

Jayson Tatum grew up a Kobe Bryant fan and even got to work out with him, so it's not a surprise that before Game 7 he turned to Kobe for inspiration.

This is the biggest game of my career thus far, and I wanted to wear that arm band to honor him and kind of share that moment in a way." Kobe had inspired Tatum in Game 7s before. Then during the game, Tatum wore a purple-and-gold Kobe 24 armband.

For the inaugural presentation of the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP award, it was only right to be given to a Celtic Legend in the making.

Look for bigger and better things, and obviously he's going to do the same in the championship series.” Well-deserved all the accolades he's getting and he's only 24 and not even touched his ceiling, not even close to that. Tatum’s ability to battle through adversity in the ECF reflected upon his full-season effort of helping the Celtics bounce back from a rough start. “He's a superstar, and he deserved that,” Butler said of Tatum’s first Finals berth. Friday night’s Game 6 loss could have been a breaking point for Boston, but Tatum did what he has done all throughout the postseason by leading them to a bounce-back win. Regardless of how long I've been in the league, I'm not too far removed from when I was in high school and when I was dreaming about moments like this.

Tatum shared a screenshot of a text he sent to Kobe Bryant in a celebratory Instagram post early Monday morning: "I got you today."

That was my favorite player. That was my inspiration. "That was my idol.

In a Game 7 win that finally got the Celtics over the hump, Jayson Tatum answered any outstanding questions about his place in the hierarchy of NBA stars.

“We trust in each other, and we had to be better. We can chuck the discussion about breaking up The Jays after their big breakthrough. The answer is a resounding yes. “You start to realize how hard it is to win. We kept the lead and kept making winning basketball plays.” Tatum is soft-spoken. But, as is their habit, they made it harder than it needed to be in one of the wilder wire-to-wire playoff wins you’ll ever witness. We would get up a big lead — they’re a great team, well-coached — and they would come back. The Celtics led by 13 with 3:35 remaining and then allowed 11 straight Miami points. The Celtic cynosure in the 100-96 triumph, Tatum logged a team-best 26 points along with 10 rebounds and 6 assists while scoring 7 vital fourth-quarter points. JT took only three fourth-quarter shots, but he made them count. Indeed it is.

Tatum earned eight of nine votes from media members and was awarded the first-ever Larry Bird Trophy.

Tatum will look to carry over his Eastern Finals success into the NBA Finals vs. Tatum earned eight of nine votes, with Heat star Jimmy Butler receiving the only other vote, from ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. He likely would’ve been the unanimous MVP pick if Miami had won the series. He scored at least 22 points in the other six games. Tatum averaged 25.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game over the course of the seven-game series vs. Following the Celtics‘ dramatic victory over the Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday, Jayson Tatum was named the Most Valuable Player of the series, making him the first-ever winner of the Larry Bird Trophy, according to the league ( Twitter press release).

Before Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum sent a text to the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

- SHOULD THE BUCKS MAKE A TRADE? On Sunday afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics, which officially ends their 2021-22 NBA season in the second-round. The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat by a score of 100-96 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night in Florida. In the Finals, they will face off with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors for the NBA Championship.

Tatum shared his thoughts on the award postgame, calling it “an honor” to be the premier recipient of the award. Full schedule for Boston Celtics – Golden State ...

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The Celtics superstar shared his thoughts on the honor postgame.

So to be the first person to win this award (named) after Larry Bird still hasn’t sunk in yet.” I thank God every day just to be in this position, to be able to do that. Tatum shared his thoughts on the award postgame, calling it “an honor” to be the premier recipient of the award.

Tatum finished with 26 points (9-21 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 4-5 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and one steal in 46 minutes during Sunday's 100-96 victory ...