Jayson Tatum made history on Sunday night by becoming the first-ever winner of the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP award. It was a well-deserved honor for the Boston Celtics superstar after leading his team to the NBA Finals following an epic seven-game series against the Miami Heat.
Celtics legend Bill Russell was one of the first to congratulate Boston for their momentous achievement. The Hall of Fame big man also issued a bold challenge for Tatum as they prepare to face off against the mighty Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals:
“Congratulations to the Eastern Conference Finals champions Celtics [and] to Jayson Tatum for receiving the 1st ever Larry Bird ECF MVP award. Maybe soon the Bill Russell Finals MVP award,” Russell wrote on Twitter.
That's an epic graphic of Larry Bird handing over a trophy to Tatum, by the way. Props to the great Bill Russell for this one.
Even more epic, though, is Russell's challenge for Tatum. The Celtics legend now wants Tatum to take his career year a step further by being the best player in the NBA Finals. It's an undeniably daunting task against Stephen Curry and Co., but it is clear that Mr. Russell has all the confidence in the world in Tatum and his Celtics.