It’s very good to be Jayson Tatum these days.
Two weeks after leading the Boston Celtics to the 2024 NBA championship, Tatum has agreed to a five-year, $314 maximum contract extension, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The deal makes the former No. 3 overall pick the highest-paid player in NBA history and will run through the 2029-30 season.
Tatum, who finished sixth in MVP voting this year, averaged 25.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game in the postseason as the Celtics won the NBA Finals for the first time since 2008.
Tatum struggled with his shot early in the championship series against the Dallas Mavericks, but poured in 31 points in a critical Game 3 win on the road and turned in another 31-point performance in the clinching Game 5 in Boston.
“I mean, this is going to be a night that I will remember for the rest of my life, from the game, the celebration, these moments,” Tatum said after winning it all, via ESPN. “Over the last couple years, we had some tough losses at home in the playoffs. We’ve lost the NBA championship at home in front of our fans. We had a chance to beat Miami in Game 6 a few years ago and lost that one.
“So to have a big win — the biggest win that you could have in front of your home crowd — I felt like that was really important to go out there and do everything in my power to make sure we won this game tonight.”
A five-time All-Star and a four-time All-NBA selection through his first seven professional seasons, the 26-year-old Tatum will be part of the USA Basketball’s roster heading to the Olympics in Paris later this month.
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