After the Minnesota Timberwolves handed the Boston Celtics their first loss early in the 2023-24 season, Anthony Edwards had some choice words for Jayson Tatum.

As shown in Netflix’s Starting 5 documentary series, Edwards was excited after the overtime victory and told his teammates in the locker room, “You seen Tatum trying to get me on the switch, locked his ass up two times. Tatum was talking crazy, saying, ‘Yeah, I’m here,’ then I said, ‘I’m coming again.’ Talking about ‘best player in the league’…y’all trippin’.”

Edwards was rightly feeling himself after that November 2023 game, as he had 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to lead Minnesota to a 114-109 win over a Boston team that entered the matchup undefeated at 5-0. Tatum finished with 32 points and five steals in a losing effort.

Tatum explained the pressure that the Celtics were under while being universally regarded as the best team in the league last season.

“We’re expected to win every single night and when we lose, the f–king world is ending, everybody’s on TV talking about us, how we’re not equipped to win a championship, how I can’t lead a team,” Tatum said.

The 26-year-old achieved the ultimate goal of leading Boston to its 18th NBA championship in franchise history, the most all-time. He didn’t win NBA Finals MVP for his performance in five games against the Dallas Mavericks. That honor went to his longtime teammate Jaylen Brown.

The Celtics are entering the 2024-25 season as the favorites to take home the title once again, as they received 83 percent of the vote in the NBA’s 2024-25 GM survey for who will be the 2025 NBA champion.

Another strong season that culminates in a championship could be enough for Tatum to silence those who doubt his status as the best player in the world.