Celtics
“I think it’s turning him into a monster, and eventually, he’s gonna get that MVP. So thank you, everybody.”
Jayson Tatum had arguably the best season of his career in 2024-25.
The 27-year-old forward joined Larry Bird as just the second player in Celtics franchise history to lead the team in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals in a single season multiple times — with Tatum averaging 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and six assists per game in his eighth NBA campaign.
But even with Tatum once again stuffing the stat sheet — and leading the Celtics to another dominant regular season — the All-NBA regular was not named a finalist for the NBA MVP Award this year.
The NBA announced its finalists for several regular-season awards on Sunday, with Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo tabbed as the trio in the running for MVP.
Both Gilgeous-Alexander (32.7 points per game) and Jokic (29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists per game) are both considered the frontrunners for the accolade — while Antetokounmpo is expected to finish third in that pecking order.
Jokic’s triple-double stat line and Gilgeous-Alexander’s role in leading a 68-win Thunder team both make compelling cases for MVP honors.
But speaking on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage of the Celtics’ Game 1 win over Orlando, former Celtics guard and 2008 champion Eddie House took umbrage with Tatum once again getting snubbed as an MVP finalist.
“Most disrespected superstar in the league,” House said of Tatum. “Most disrespected All-NBA First-Team player in the league. Was it three straight years he’s been All-NBA? He’s disrespected.
“And that’s OK, because sometimes that’s fuel…