After showing his love for Tatum, Ortiz began to express confidence that he’ll eventually lead the Celtics to Banner 18, and likely more.

“It’ll come. I’m telling you right now, it’s going to happen,” Ortiz said of Tatum’s chances of winning a championship. “It’s not just going to happen one time, it’s going to happen many times because he does nothing but get better.”

Tatum and the Celtics have already gotten a sniff at the title. They made it to the NBA Finals in 2022 before losing to the Warriors in six games. The Celtics actually held a lead late in Game 4 that would’ve put them up 3-1 in the series, but Tatum and crew weren’t able to seal the deal.

Boston looked poised to make it back last season, winning 57 regular-season games, but it had a couple of bumps in the playoffs. It needed to win two consecutive games against Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference semifinals and found itself in a 3-0 deficit against Miami in the Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics won three in a row to win Game 7, but Tatum suffered an ankle injury in the opening minute of the decisive game, leading to a blowout loss.

Once again, Tatum and the Celtics are in the mix to win a title. They were the co-betting favorites to win it all entering the year and hold the best record in the league through Friday at 15-4.

As the Celtics have made it to the NBA’s version of the final four in four of Tatum’s first six seasons, Ortiz thinks that the star has blossomed to the point where he can lead a team to a title, adding that he understands the Boston fanbase now, too.

“He has established himself as one of the elite players in the league,” Ortiz continued about Tatum. “He knows what it takes to win, and he also knows where he’s playing at. He knows that the fans are true fans up in Boston, and every time he takes that court, he shows it.”

Tatum seemed to embrace Boston as his home more than ever during an interview with Jeff Goodman for The Messenger back in September, admitting “Just recently, I started to feel the connection with Boston.”

“I have spent my adult life here, my son has grown up here, I’ve grown up here. I’ve accomplished so many things,” Tatum said then. “It’s happened so fast, and Boston has played such an intricate part of my life.

“I just feel like I relate more, a lot more in these last two years. At first it was like I live here, but I’m from St. Louis. I’m a St. Louis kid. Now I’m a part of Boston. I really feel a connection with the city and the people of Boston.”

In the same interview, Tatum also said he’d “love to be on the Mount Rushmore of Celtics,” leading credence to Ortiz’s point that he knows the weight of the franchise he plays for.

As for how Tatum feels about Ortiz, the St. Louis native expressed appreciation for the Red Sox star in the past, even if he beat the Cardinals twice in the World Series.

“The legend,” Tatum wrote in an Instagram post of a picture of him with Ortiz back in 2017 shortly after he was drafted by the Celtics.