BOSTON — Jayson Tatum laughed and shook his head. It's all the Boston Celtics star could do on Monday morning after he was asked if the Green Team felt like "his team."
This question — which came during the Celtics' Media Day extravaganza at the Auerbach Center — was a loaded one. Tatum and former Celtics star Jaylen Brown had spent the last several years hearing pundits and fans argue over who the team "belonged" to. Was Tatum the leader? Or was Brown the true general? Brown has since been traded to the rival Philadelphia 76ers, leaving Tatum as the last man standing ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. However, he doesn't view this change as a gesture that proves he now controls the Celtics.
Instead of rushing into a defensive answer, Tatum took his
time. After smirking to himself and sitting in silence for 10 seconds, the longest-tenured Celtic delivered a thoughtful response to defuse the incessant "team ownership" conversation.
"It's not a simple thing as, 'this is my team,'" he replied at the podium. "I don't know if that's the answer you were looking for, but like I said earlier, I understand the roles that we all play on this team. Everybody's role is different, and that's what makes up a team. We don't all have the same roles. We all bring something different on a daily basis to make the group better, add towards winning, make this place, this organization, better."
Jayson Tatum had a good reply when he was asked if the Celtics were “his team”:
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) September 28, 2026
“It’s not a simple thing. Is this is my team?…I understand the roles that we all play on this team…”
“We all bring something different on a daily basis to make the group better, add to towards… pic.twitter.com/d6iWVlee63
While Tatum is undoubtedly the go-to guy for the C's, he wanted to emphasize the fact that a winning team, especially in the NBA, needs depth. One person cannot lead a roster to a championship all on their own.
"I got 14 other teammates that I'm going to lean on," Tatum continued. "And we all need each other to be better every single day."
Since Tatum is a reflective and diplomatic superstar, some basketball talking heads have questioned his leadership style, adding to the aforementioned "team ownership" narrative. They might do this to provoke fans or to perhaps provoke Tatum into a newsworthy clapback, yet he rarely takes the bait.
The 2024 NBA champion prefers to lead on the court and behind the scenes. In fact, he even organized the Green Team's offseason workouts in Los Angeles this summer via group text, according to Celtics wing Sam Hauser.
"Leadership is about a lot of different things," Tatum began. "Awareness is the biggest one. Self-awareness, awareness of the group, and just understanding. We all have roles, and we're simply in this together."
Sam Hauser on how the Celtics’ LA workouts came together:
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) September 28, 2026
“JT hit the group chat, invited us all out.”
“So it was a lot of fun. We did a lot of work on the court, played some golf, had some some dinners. So it was a lot of fun.”
Q via @RealBobManning pic.twitter.com/PlTK3EUuja
Ultimately, people love labels, so the Celtics are going to be considered Tatum's team for the foreseeable future. That's not the most profound way to analyze the C's, but it is fair to say the 28-year-old is Boston's best player.
People also love drama, meaning the relationship between Tatum and Brown will be a hot topic throughout the 2026-27 regular season. And while many members of the media will dissect their every interaction when the C's and Sixers square off, Tatum refuses to add fuel to the fire.
"Just being grateful for what we accomplished and what he means to the city and to this organization," Tatum said of his nine-year partnership with Brown. "And just the ups and downs in our career that we were able to grow and learn from that made us the players that we are today."
Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:
Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Jayson Tatum on whether the Celtics are his team now
