It might be hard to believe, but Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has only been in the NBA for five seasons. Considering the number of high-profile games he has played, it feels like he has the resume of a ten-year veteran. Boston has made the playoffs every year he has been on the roster and has at least made the conference semifinals in four out of his five seasons.
In addition to his tremendous play on the court, Tatum is a fan favorite due to the adorable warm-up routines he has with his son, four-year-old Deuce Tatum. He’s one of the most naturally gifted scorers in the league, and he has a chance to be on a short list of players who can get a basket at any time when it is needed most.
Jayson Tatum – Childhood
Jayson Christopher Tatum Sr had his story begin in St. Louis, Missouri on March 3, 1998. He was born to parents Brandy Cole and Justin Tatum. Young Jayson certainly had the bloodlines to play basketball, as Justin played college basketball for the Saint Louis Billikens, and professionally in the Netherlands. Justin Tatum carved out a solid collegiate career as a versatile forward, averaging 8.2 points.
Although Jayson Tatum would end up being raised by his mother, his father was around very often to play basketball with his son, and ensure that his work ethic remained strong even as he started to dominate the competition. The elder Tatum once said that his son averaged 25 points per game in the fifth grade in a league playing against adults, which is when many people realized how good Jayson could become.
Tatum gives his mother a ton of credit for raising him on his own and instilling him with a level of resilience that he values to this day. Cole was only 19 years old when she gave birth to Tatum and didn’t have everything figured out right away. They experienced some difficulties during Jayson’s childhood economically.
Sometimes, their neighbor would have to help out with providing food, and the Tatum’s even received a foreclosure notice on their home. Despite the adversity, Cole found a way to keep a roof over their head, while going to school to further her education. She would even bring her infant boy to class if there was no one available to babysit. This gave the future Celtics star an ability to have an unwavering focus on his love of basketball, which would one day get him out of these challenging circumstances.
Jayson Tatum – Chaminade Prep High School
Driven by a love of the game and an effort level dictated by playing against the more seasoned competition, Tatum was about as ready for high school basketball as any kid could be. Jayson Tatum would play many scrimmage games in Wohl Recreation Center, which is not exactly the most glamorous place to have a game. However, those circumstances led him to overcome adversity, and learn that hard work can overcome just about any deficiency.
Tatum attended Chaminade Prep High School and was coached by Frank Bennett. He remembered walking into school at 6:30 AM, and the young player would already be in the gym getting up his shots. It was that level of commitment that led him to be named Metro Catholic Conference Player of the Year as a freshman, with averages of over 13 points and six rebounds per game.
The burgeoning star would also cross paths in St. Louis with another familiar basketball name. Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is five years older than Tatum, and played at Chaminade as well, although the two never overlapped or played together. Beal would end up being a mentor for Tatum, keeping up their relationship even when Beal left the state to play college basketball at the University of Florida.
The future Celtics star would have an interesting decision to make during his high school years. His father ended up becoming the basketball coach of his alma mater, Christian Brothers High School. Justin Tatum was hopeful that Jayson would consider playing for him, but the younger Tatum decided that the best path for him was to stay at Chaminade.
It ended up being a great decision, as he experienced nothing but success there. He built up his profile nationally by winning multiple Gatorade Missouri Player Of The Year awards and garnered several honors from well-regarded evaluation site MaxPreps.
As a senior, he averaged over 29 points and nine rebounds per game, en route to Chaminade’s Missouri Class 5A state title. He was the third overall ranked player in the 2016 incoming freshman class according to ESPN, ahead of players like Lonzo Ball, Bam Adebayo and De’Aaron Fox. He was well on his way to having his pick of elite schools to play for to punch his ticket out of St. Louis.
Jayson Tatum – College
Jayson Tatum’s final list of basketball programs would be a dream for most other prospects. The Arizona Wildcats, Connecticut Huskies, Duke Blue Devils, Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, and North Carolina Tar Heels were all options for him coming out of high school. Ultimately, he elected to take his talents to Duke to play for five-time NCAA champion head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
The great thing about choosing a program like Duke is the exposure to tremendous competition not just in conference games, but in practice. Seven of Tatum’s teammates at Duke would go on to play in the NBA, including Los Angeles Clippers forward Luke Kennard, and Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen.
Coach Krzyzewski would end up starting the freshman in 27 out of 29 games since it was evident that his talent translated extremely well at this next level. Tatum averaged over 16 points and seven rebounds per game, shooting a stellar 84 percent from the free-throw line. He had one of his best games against the University of Virginia, a team which is known for its strong defense. The St. Louis native scored 28 points and made all six of his free throws.
He would rise to the occasion in big games, averaging 22 points per contest in the ACC Tournament, which the Blue Devils ended up winning. The team had a slightly disappointing NCAA Tournament run, losing in the second round to the University of South Carolina. Despite the unfortunate end to the season, it was clear that Tatum was one of the best NBA prospects heading into the 2017 draft.
Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics
There were a ton of fireworks leading up to the NBA Draft before any players were even selected. The Boston Celtics won the 2017 draft lottery, meaning they would have the first overall selection. This was a bizarre circumstance though since usually, the worst teams in the NBA have the chance to pick first. Boston made the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2016-2017 season. The Celtics were very lucky to have the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round pick that year because they finished with the worst record in the league.
A couple of days before the draft, the Philadelphia 76ers were enamored with University of Washington guard Markelle Fultz. Boston agreed to trade them the first overall selection, and the Celtics would pick third. As it turned out, the Celtics actually appear to have benefitted from that deal the most, since they drafted Jayson Tatum in that spot, who has made three All-Star appearances.
Since the Celtics were already an Eastern Conference contender, Tatum did not have to experience the pressure of reviving a franchise all by himself as a rookie. Jayson Tatum’s NBA debut came on October 17, 2017, against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He would score 14 points and grab 10 rebounds in his first professional game.
While Ben Simmons would go on to win the Rookie Of The Year award in 2018(he missed 2017 due to injury), Tatum would have a promising first season, as he was named to the All-Rookie team. Tatum would run into the Cavaliers again in the Eastern Conference Finals that year and played extremely well in a hard-fought seven-game series. The former Duke star scored 24 points in Game 7, and had a memorable dunk over James that announced Tatum’s presence in the basketball world.
Tatum would continue to improve in his second season in the league, but emerged as the player we know now in his third campaign in 2019-2020. He made his first All-Star team that year, and his scoring average jumped from 15 points per game to 23 points per game. In what was a challenging time for the league and the players, the third-year forward maintained his focus as the season resumed in the NBA bubble. He was outstanding in the postseason, leading Boston past the defending champion Toronto Raptors in the second round before being knocked out by the Miami Heat in the conference finals.
Expectations were pretty high the following season, but the Celtics could not meet them. After finishing with a .500 record in the regular season, Boston was easily dismantled by the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs.
Jayson Tatum – NBA Finals Against The Golden State Warriors
After many years of coming so close to qualifying for the NBA Finals but falling just short, the 2021-2022 season proved to be a breakthrough campaign for Tatum and the Celtics. In the first round of the NBA playoffs, Boston swept the Brooklyn Nets, who had ended their dreams the year before. The team would go on to be severely tested by the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, who had a 3-2 series lead after five games. However, the Celtics would come back to win the series, thanks in large part to Tatum’s 46-point outburst in Game 6. In another hard-fought battle against the Miami Heat, Tatum fought through physical defense night after night. Although his shooting efficiency wasn’t great, Tatum scored 21 points to lead Boston to Game 7 victory, and the team’s first NBA Finals appearance with this group of players.
The NBA Finals proved to be an uneven performance for the rising NBA superstar. As a veteran team, the Golden State Warriors knew that they had to slow Tatum down. Their efforts were mostly successful, as Tatum did not shoot the ball well during the series. Because of his sheer talent, he was able to make some difficult contested shots, but it was not good enough for Boston to win the NBA championship in 2022.
Tatum kind of hit a wall in the NBA Finals. After his best season yet, he seemed exhausted and overwhelmed at times. Even so, he was the team’s focal offensive point and was instrumental in keeping them in contention and the main reason why they got there in the first place.
Jayson Tatum – NBA Future
The future is extremely bright for Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics. The next step in his development will be for him to play like a superstar and win an elusive championship. It seems reasonable that Boston will continue to build the roster around him and fellow young star Jaylen Brown. The Celtics will have to do battle with some very talented teams in the Eastern Conference, but their experience will serve them well in the years to come.
He knows that the Celtics have what it takes to go the distance, and he already proved that he could lead the franchise to the NBA Finals.
“(I learned) that I’m 24 and one of the best players in the world and that I will compete against whoever and take on that challenge,” Tatum told The Athletic’s Jared Weiss. “In that same breath, I feel like there’s so much I could be better at, and I think that’s the exciting part. That I’m at where I’m at, where there’s so much more I can be, so much more I can learn and so many more experiences to go through.”
“It’s not a ‘for sure’ thing, you know. You have to put in the work. You have to take the right steps,” Tatum added. “But I’m positive that we got the right group that will buy in, and we can’t look past anything and just try to coast our way to the finals. We gotta start from training camp. We gotta start from Day 1.”
The Celtics clearly trust Ime Udoka and he only needed one season to get them to buy in on their idea. They play hard defense, and even though some questioned Tatum’s shot-making and inefficiency in the NBA Finals, he’s just getting started, and the best years of his career are far ahead of him. Hopefully, they’ll keep the band together, so he and Jaylen Brown can lead the Celtics to their 18th NBA championship once and for all.
Where did Jayson Tatum play college basketball?
He played for the Duke Blue Devils in college. Tatum’s college career got off to a rocky start, as he was forced to miss the first eight games of the 2016-17 season due to a foot injury. Nevertheless, Tatum had an outstanding ACC Tournament, averaging 22 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and helping the Blue Devils add another championship title to their collection.
Is Jayson Tatum related to Channing Tatum?
No, Jayson Tatum and Hollywood star Channing Tatum are not brothers, even though they have the same last name.
Who is Jayson Tatum’s father?
Justin Tatum, a former college basketball player and coach, is an easy-going guy who was also a sportsman. This made him an ideal candidate for helping Jayson Tatum out as a basketball player.
Does Jayson Tatum have a kid?
At 19 years old, Tatum became a father to his son Jayson Christopher Tatum Jr., nicknamed Deuce. Tatum co-parents with his ex-girlfriend, Toriah Lachell.
How long has Jayson Tatum been in the NBA?
Jayson Tatum has been in the NBA since he was drafted by the Boston Celtics as the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. This means that as of 2023, he has been in the NBA for approximately 6 years.
