Jayson Tatum getting called out for being ‘selfish’ is complete bogus

Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum has had a fantastic summer. Not only did he win his first NBA Championship, leading the Celtics in points, rebounds, and assists along the way, but he also landed the cover of NBA 2K25 and Sports Illustrated. Unfortunately, those accomplishments were marred by an odd run with Team USA in the 2024 Olympics.

Luckily for the Celtics and Boston fans everywhere, Tatum has never been one to let narratives get to his head. He’s a very reserved person. Endorsement deals constantly flow in, but other than those, he likes to keep to himself. Despite that, takes are continually thrown his way.

And after his latest interview and the comments that came afterward, he’ll once again have to employ his ability to block out the noise.

Kendrick Perkins called Jayson Tatum 'selfish' for wanting to win MVP and it's bogus

In a recent chat with Bobby Krivitsky of SI Media Group, Tatum admitted that he wants to win the MVP award, but not at the expense of winning a title.

“Yeah, winning takes precedence over everything,” Tatum said. “Winning a championship is the most important. Playing the right way. But it's been done. It's possible. You can play the right way, you can dominate the game, you can strive for a championship, and be an MVP of the league. So, you don't have to sacrifice one for the other. You can do both.”

However, that quote was met with a questionable message from former NBA champ Kendrick Perkins, who spoke about it on ESPN’s NBA Today. (H/t Ethen Hutton of Sportskeeda)

"It's simple. Selfish. Selfish. He's selfish,” Perkins said. “I'm not being negative right now, but seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others. I have no problem with a player being somewhat selfish and wanting to accomplish things on an individual basis."

Perkins followed up the statement by saying that being selfish is okay in some contexts, but he knew what he was saying. He led his rant by calling Tatum selfish. He wanted the quote. He wanted the sound bite.

The former Celtic could have easily led with an explanation of what he wanted to say. He could have said something along the lines of, ‘Sometimes players need to be selfish, and that’s okay.’ But instead, he straight-up called Tatum selfish and then watered down the statement a bit.

It was a bogus take, too. Of course, Tatum wants to win MVP. Jaylen Brown probably wants to win it, too. So does Payton Pritchard. Every basketball player dreams of winning an award like that. But as much as Tatum wants to win the award, he wouldn't do anything to take away from Boston's team-oriented style of basketball in pursuit of it.

The way Perkins phrased his take on the matter was bogus.