How Jayson Tatum Orchestrated Celtics Headband Bros Agreement

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics entered Tuesday night with good vibes, a five-game winning streak and a locker room deal that didn’t go broken.

Tatum and teammate Derrick White previously vowed to wear headbands together whenever either of the two proposed the idea. This agreement was last carried out three months ago during Boston’s matchup with the Atlanta Hawks. It was Tatum’s call that instance, leaving it up to White to choose the next.

With nearly 50 games having come and gone, Tatum was left inpatient and took it upon himself to make a locker room leader’s call when the Celtics battled it out against the Raptors in Toronto, seeking a sixth consecutive win.

“Yeah, it was my call,” Tatum told reporters postgame, as seen on NBC Sports Boston. “No particular reason. We had an agreement that whenever one of us says we gotta wear a headband, we do it. We were supposed to take turns. We did it in Atlanta earlier this season. I waited 40 some odd games for him to say it so I took the responsibility from him and was just like, ‘(Expletive) it, we’re gonna wear the headband today.'”

Tatum’s accessory choice boded well for the Celtics, who defeated the Raptors, 111-101, to extend their red-hot streak and improve their NBA-best road record to 24-6. Boston has gone 13-3 in its last 16 games, scoring 110-plus points 14 times across the stretch while also building a four and a 1/2 game cushion over the third-seed New York Knicks.

The 26-year-old scored 19 points with 11 assists and six rebounds as Tatum recorded his fourth straight double-double, and his 26th this season.

Even Toronto, watching from the opposing sideline, offered Tatum his much-deserved flowers after Tuesday night’s battle at Scotiabank Arena.

“I’ll tell you what. That guy is the best player on the best team in the NBA,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković said, per NBA. “… I don’t think that he gets enough credit for what he does on both ends of the floor for that team — offensively, defensively. We tried different things against him, we were trying to frustrate him with our physicality. He just kept going and kept making the right decisions. So they’re really lucky to have a guy like him. Amazing player and I’m a really, really big fan of his.”

White also rejuvenated with the headband, scoring 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting while knocking down six 3-pointers with three steals and two blocks.

In the meantime, the Celtics have quickly rediscovered their winning formula. Tatum’s selfless demeanor, which has gone undervalued, continues to produce and keep Boston among the top three elite teams in the NBA — alongside the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder. So while the twisted context of Tatum’s season-long performance might remove him from MVP conversations, Boston remains right in the middle of title talks as the league’s reigning champions.

“He makes our lives easier so shoutout, JT,” White said, per NBC Sports Boston.

Headband or no headband, Tatum’s been elite through his eighth season, currently leading the Celtics in points (26.8), rebounds (8.8) and assists (5.7). Nevertheless, keeping his unofficial contract with White intact has also fared well.