By admin 
The Boston Celtics may have set Jayson Tatum up for a ton of backlash this weekend.
Read more Many possible paths for Padres at trade deadline; here’s why they could buy, sell or stand pat
In honor of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” hitting theaters this weekend, the Celtics shared a graphic inspired by this epic fantasy film. They replaced Odysseus with a photo of Tatum and replaced “The Odyssey” with the All-Star forward’s nickname, “The Anomaly.”
While this was truly a harmless gesture by the Celtics, NBA fans found this social media post to be quite embarrassing. It also doesn’t help that they’re strongly against Tatum’s nickname.
“I hate how Tatum’s nickname has just been forced as The Anomaly,” one fan said. “Such a bad nickname.”
“This is getting really embarrassing,” a second fan wrote. “You’re the Celtics, this is something Sacramento would do.”
Read more Hip-hop pioneer, HBCU professor headed to Hall of Fame
“Maybe don’t tie Tatum’s image to the Trojan War since he ruptured his Achilles,” another fan suggested.
“Some are calling it the worst nickname ever,” a Celtics fan commented.
A new challenge waits for Tatum.
The Celtics shocked the NBA world this offseason by trading Tatum’s co-star, Jaylen Brown, to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-rounders.
With Brown no longer on the roster, Tatum will be the unquestioned leader of the Celtics.
“You play on a team with a guy for nine years,” Tatum said, via CelticsBlog. “I was fortunate enough to go to the [NBA] Finals with him twice, and win a championship, and push each other to be the players that we are today. It’s tough. But it just makes you appreciate the moments and time that we had. Obviously, it came to an abrupt ending, but it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t super successful. Great years, obviously, that he gave to the city and to the organization.”
Read more Padres announce 2027 schedule; will open vs. D-backs, finish in Chicago
We’ll see if Tatum thrives in Boston without Brown by his side.
Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published July 17, 2026 at 8:04 AM.