BOSTON – Jayson Tatum always enjoys seeing Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett sitting courtside at Boston Celtics games. The Celtics star forward takes note of the love fans give them that is much more than just respect for being Hall of Famers who donned the green and white. The respect and adoration comes from “The Truth” and “KG” playing major roles in bringing a 2008 NBA championship to Boston.

After finally bringing a title to Boston himself in 2024, Tatum feels amazing about having a “footprint” in Celtics lore and has pictured himself sitting courtside at the TD Garden receiving the highest love from the fans after he retires.

“It feels different in real time like, man, I’m a part of history,” Tatum told Andscape after a Celtics practice on Oct. 11. “You see when Paul Pierce, KG, all those guys come back, the pride that they have because they are ingrained in history. You can just feel the energy when those guys come back. They know they did something special. That’s what you always wanted to do. I know with the championship I’m in that room. I understand the energy they feel when they come back. It’s a sense of pride, sense of joy, like you accomplished something special. Hopefully, it’s not just one for me.

“To be a part of Celtics history, you have to have won a championship. We have 18 now. All the best players here have won a championship. You are held to the highest standard. You at least have to win one. It felt good to get that. I’m happy about that.”

Consider the Celtics’ storied history, Tatum felt a mammoth weight lifted after winning a championship. He entered the 2024 NBA Finals with five conference finals appearances, one NBA Finals appearance and no rings. Tatum said he was “devastated” after losing to the Golden State Warriors in six games in the 2022 NBA Finals after believing he was playing his best basketball with a great work ethic to boot.

With 11,852 points scored through seven seasons, it’s expected that the five-time NBA All-Star will ultimately go down as one of the greatest Celtics ever. But without a title, Tatum knew he truly couldn’t be in the conversation amongst Celtics greats. While the 26-year-old isn’t satisfied with one ring and has a lot of hoop left, he felt like getting a title in Beantown finally gave him the ability to stand alongside Pierce, Garnett, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and other Celtics legends.

“It was lot of weight. I’ve been close so many times,” Tatum said. “It felt like, ‘Damn, maybe this is not meant to be.’ Those thoughts creep into your mind. There was doubt in the toughest moments. But then on the flip side, I knew we were going to knock it down one day. It meant everything when we did it.”

On Tuesday night, Tatum and the Celtics will be raising an NBA championship banner in Boston when they face the New York Knicks in their season-opener. The Celtics have now won an NBA record 18 championships, one more than their rival Los Angeles Lakers. It will also be the first title banner raised in Boston since 2008.

Tatum is excited about getting his first NBA championship ring and finally seeing a banner that he is part of up in the TD Garden rafters.

“I’ve seen opening night in the NBA so many years,” Tatum said. “I’ve seen teams see their banner raised and get their rings. I’m like, ‘Man, I want that to be me one day.’ I haven’t seen what the rings look like. It’s going to be a surprise to all of us. I am going to have my family there. My mom and [my son], Deuce [Jayson, Jr.], will be courtside with all the fans that have been supporting us over the years.

“That moment it’s going to be special. It will be something I will cherish the rest of my life. You always will remember that moment when you won you got your first ring, you got to put it on. That is what all my favorite players did.”

Tatum inked a mammoth five-year, $315 million supermax contract extension with the Celtics on July 1. The 6-foot-8, 210-pounder averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and shot 47% from the field last season and earned All-NBA First Team honors for the third consecutive season. Tatum has already earned $121 million in his NBA career, not including off-court endorsements.

Now entering his eighth year in Boston, the St. Louis native feels at home in Beantown and is appreciative of how much the city and franchise have given him on and off the court.

“Time flies,” Tatum said. “I was drafted in 2017… My son was born here. I bought my first car here. And for me, I admire and love the relationships I’ve built within the organization, all the coaches that I’ve had, obviously, the front office, security guards, trainers, chefs, the fans, the people that work at the Garden, the ball boys that do our laundry. The relationships I’ve built over the last seven, eight years, I can’t imagine starting over and leaving them or this place.

“Obviously, it’s a lot of more and I’m grateful for all that has come my way. But more so, they want me to be here. I understand that I got a footprint in helping build the Celtics legacy. A small part that I feel like I’m a part of. There are a bunch of 10-year-olds in Boston who will feel like I’m a part of their childhood. ‘I grew up watching him play at the Garden. I grew up watching him win championships.’ In a sports town like Boston, that’s special to be a part of.”

With a new contract and a championship in hand, Tatum was next off to the 2024 Paris Olympics to play for USA Basketball. After all the recent joy of a championship, there was disappointment as Tatum played sparingly on the way to winning his second gold medal. Tatum averaged 5.3 points on 38.1% shooting in four Olympic games and did not play in two contests.

While Tatum was admittedly disappointed about his lack of playing time, he has put the Olympics in perspective.

“It was a learning experience. Some things are out of your control,” Tatum said. “Everything happens for a reason, whatever that reason is. But as I look back at my career, two gold medals, win a championship, All-Star five years. I’m doing all right in life.”

Respectfully, Pierce and Garnett were only able to win one championship and fell shy of expectations. The NBA’s all-time greatest winner was Russell with 11 titles. Sam Jones won 10 for Boston while Tom Heinsohn, KC Jones, Satch Sanders and John Havlicek all won eight. Cousy won six. Bird won three. Can Tatum be more than just a one championship wonder?

The Celtics also haven’t repeated as champs since 1968 and 1969. The last NBA team to repeat as champions were the Warriors in 2018 and 2019. With a new contract, youth and a talented roster including 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, defensive standout Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis, Tatum believes the favored Celtics are primed for another banner and says there are a “lot of things” to key on to make it happen.

“Understanding and taking ownership of, first, this is our time,” Tatum said. “We have an amazing window for however long we have this core group together. And building off last [season]. We’re not going to get the credit, but we had an all-time historic season. We played the right way. We played unselfish. Guys still had individual success. We understood the moments when we needed everybody.

“D-White had 38 in a playoff game against Miami. Can we continue to want more? It’s not time for us to wait for people to attack us. No. What we did last [season] was special. But after ring night, [expletive] that because in a new season everyone is gunning for us in a championship. We have to get better one game at a time. That was when we were at our best last year. We didn’t skip no steps. We didn’t look past nobody.

“The [2022-23 season] we struggled with just wanting to get back to Finals and we fell short to Miami. But last [season], it was like, no, we have to get better every day whether we were playing the Lakers and LeBron [James] on Christmas or the lowest seed on League Pass. We were locked in. It showed. We only lost 20 games all season, including the playoffs. That was impressive.”