Jayson Tatum is a basketball player. A very good one.
Together with his team—the Boston Celtics—he became an NBA champion for the 2023-24 season.
A few weeks ago, I watched a docuseries on Netflix called Starting 5.
The documentary follows the lives of five pro basketball players throughout the 2023-24 season.
Jayson Tatum was one of them.
In the fifth episode of the docuseries, the director was interviewing Tatum's head coach, Joe
Mazzulla and talking to him about the pressure facing Tatum that season.
I want to focus on something specific that Mazzulla said.
I will recreate the moment in words for you here:
Director: It seems to me that Jayson has to deal with unfair criticism ...
Mazzulla (interrupting): Get's to deal with.
Director: Yeah, yeah ...
Mazzulla: He get's to deal with it.
Mazzulla (continuing): It's the ultimate compliment. You know and that's what we talk about. This is what you asked for. You asked to be one of the best players in the NBA on the best team in the NBA, with an opportunity, uh, you know to be an icon for the league for a long, long time. This is what you asked for.
That correction from has to deal with to get's to deal with, has been sitting with me for several weeks.
Tennis legend Billie Jean King said, "Pressure is a privilege." That is the core idea behind
Joe Mazzulla's correction to the Director.
If you're reading this, it's very likely that you are not a professional basketball player.
It's almost a guarantee that you are facing some level of pressure in your life.
If you can recognize that pressure as something you get to deal with vs. have to deal with, perhaps then you'll also recognize the privilege that comes with it.
