To be mentioned in the same breath as Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell is a tremendous honor. The five-time MVP and 11-time NBA champion was the GOAT before that term existed. Current Celtics star Jayson Tatum won't be able to match Russell's resume — practically no one can. But, he can pass the basketball pioneer on the Green Team's all-time scoring list.
After recording a game-high 24 points on Wednesday night during a 98-93 win over the Toronto Raptors, Tatum is now up to 14,421 points over the course of 10 regular seasons. If the six-time All-Star can log 102 more points, he'll move into eighth on the Celtics' all-time scoring list, overtaking Russell's spot. It took Russell 13 seasons to garner all those buckets, and nobody has knocked
him down the leaderboard since Celtics great Paul Pierce did in the late 2000s.
Thus, any type of change on this long-standing list is impressive. In fact, every Celtic ahead of Tatum is in the Hall of Fame already. Tatum would like to join them in Naismith one day and seems on track to do so. The 28-year-old owns an NBA title, two gold medals, and four All-NBA First Team selections.
Youth is hopefully on his side, because despite the fact that he suffered a ruptured Achilles in May of 2025, Tatum looks spry to start the 2026-27 season. He's averaging just over 26 points per game and has helped lead Boston to a 10-2 record, which is good enough for first place in the Eastern Conference at the moment.
It's hard to say where Tatum will end up in the hierarchy of Celtics greats, however, it bodes well for him to even be associated with the likes of Russell and Pierce. Perhaps the best way to boost his status will be by capturing another championship ring, as hardware is what truly earns respect in Boston.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum closing in on all-time Bill Russell record
