Celtics' Jayson Tatum Explains Playing in Games Where 'Ain't Nobody F--king Watching'

Jayson Tatum doesn't appear to be a fan of load management.

While speaking at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, the Boston Celtics star encouraged the young athletes in attendance to always compete, whether they're playing the best team in the league or the worst.

"I don't decide, 'S--t we playing the Hornets tonight, Ima chill.' I only get to go to Charlotte two times a year. Somebody paid their money to come watch me play," Tatum said.

"Like, not trying to be arrogant, there's a bunch of kids in there with my shoes and my jersey and just because we're playing Charlotte on NBA League Pass on a Monday that ain't nobody f--king watching, I'm like 'Oh, I'm chilling tonight.' That's not what the great players, the best players do. ... Big game or not big game, compete. Play basketball. Don't take that s--t for granted."

Many teams have had their star players sit out games toward the end of the season to help preserve them for the playoffs. This has become known as load management and it's something the NBA has had to grapple with over the last several seasons.

While players like Tatum strive to play every game—the Celtics standout has appeared in at least 64 games in each of his six NBA seasons—there will always be players who opt to sit out in preparation for the grueling nature of the postseason.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed load management during the 2023 All-Star weekend, saying that it "isn't a new issue" and that he "doesn't have an answer" for it.

"I understand it from a fan standpoint that if you are particularly buying tickets to a particular game and that player isn't playing," Silver said. "I don't have a good answer for that other than this is a deep league with incredible competition."

However, the NBA is implementing a 65-game minimum for players to be eligible for any of the annual awards—including MVP and All-NBA honors—beginning during the 2023-24 season. With such awards being benchmarks for players to earn bonuses on their contracts, doing so may help with load management to some degree.