Jayson Tatum

Jayson Christopher Tatum Sr. (/ˈteɪtʌm/; born March 3, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A native of the city of St. Louis, Missouri, Tatum attended Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis County, where he was rated a five-star recruit and regarded as one of the top players in the Class of 2016 by recruiting services. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils before entering the 2017 NBA draft. He was selected with the third overall pick by the Boston Celtics. A three-time NBA All-Star, Tatum won the 2019 Skills Challenge during the NBA All-Star Weekend. As part of Team USA, Tatum won a Gold Medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Tatum attended Chaminade College Preparatory School in Creve Coeur, Missouri. As a freshman, he averaged 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and was named 2013 Metro Catholic Conference Co-Player of the year, leading the Red Devils to both (MCC) and Missouri District 2 crowns. As a sophomore in 2014, he averaged 26.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game.

As a junior, Tatum averaged 25.9 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game, while earning Second-team Naismith Trophy All-American honors. In summer 2015, Tatum joined the St. Louis Eagles Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team on the highly competitive Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) Circuit. On July 11, the Eagles defeated future Duke teammate Harry Giles and Team CP3 74–73 in the Nike Peach Jam Semi-Finals with a game-winning buzzer-beater to advance to the championship game, where Tatum finished the game with 28 points and 5 rebounds. On July 12, Tatum tallied 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a 104–77 loss to the Georgia Stars and future Duke one-and-done Wendell Carter Jr. in the 2015 Nike Peach Jam championship game. During the Circuit, Tatum led the EYBL in scoring with 26.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

Prior to his senior year, Tatum made a verbal commitment to Duke University over North Carolina, Kentucky, and his mother and father's alma mater, Saint Louis University. Among his senior-year highlights were a 40-point, 17-rebound game in a 76–57 win over Bentonville High School and its star Malik Monk, a 46-point game against Huntington Prep and Miles Bridges at the Cancer Research Classic, and a final 40-point game against DeMatha Catholic High School and future #1 NBA draft pick Markelle Fultz at the 2016 HoopHall Classic.

As a senior in 2015–16 Tatum averaged 29.6 points and 9.1 rebounds and posted six 40-point games while leading Chaminade to its second Missouri Class 5A state championship. Tatum was selected to the 2016 McDonald's All-American Game in January 2016, where he won the Skills competition, and in the all-star game on March 30, 2016, at the United Center in Chicago, leading the East Team in scoring with 18 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in a 114–107 loss. In April, Tatum also played in the Jordan Brand Classic, where he scored 18 points in a 131–117 win against the West team. Tatum was named the 2016 Gatorade National Player of the Year.

Recruiting

Tatum was rated as a five-star recruit and considered one of the best prospects in the 2016 class. He was ranked as the No. 3 overall recruit behind Harry Giles and Josh Jackson and No. 2 small forward in the 2016 high school class.

Before the start of 2016–17, Tatum missed 8 games due to a foot injury. On December 3, 2016 in his Duke debut, Tatum recorded 10 points in a 94–55 win over Maine. On December 6, 2016, Tatum tallied 22 points and 8 rebounds in an 84–74 victory over Florida at the Jimmy V Classic. On December 12, 2016, Tatum was named ACC freshman of the week. On December 21, 2016, Tatum scored 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a 72–61 win over Elon. On January 4, 2017, Tatum scored 19 points in a 110–57 victory over Georgia Tech. On January 7, he recorded 22 points and 6 rebounds in a 93–82 victory over Boston College. On January 21, Tatum scored 14 in a 70–58 win over Miami. On February 13, Tatum earned his second ACC freshman of the week honor. On February 15, he scored a season-high 28 points and had 8 rebounds in a 65–55 victory against Virginia. On February 18, 2017, Tatum scored 19 points in a 99–94 victory over Wake Forest. As the fifth seed in the ACC Tournament, Duke defeated Clemson in the second round and Louisville in the quarterfinals. On March 10, Tatum scored 24 points in a win over rival North Carolinain the semifinals. On March 11, Tatum tallied 19 points and 8 rebounds in a 75–69 victory against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, earning the Blue Devils the ACC Tournament Championship.

Tatum was named to the All-ACC Tournament team, after averaging 22.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game for the Blue Devils. As the #2 seed entering the NCAA Tournament, Duke defeated Troy University in the first round, but exited early in a second-round loss against South Carolina. Tatum averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the tournament. In his freshman season for Duke in 2016–17, Tatum played 29 games and averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assist, and 1.3 steals per game, and was named to the ACC All-Freshman team & a third team All-ACC selection. Tatum had a successful freshman season at Duke, ranking fourth in made free throws (118), rebounds (fifth), and free throw percentage (849.).

At the conclusion of his freshman season Tatum opted to go directly into the 2017 NBA draft as a one-and-done, where he was projected as a first-round selection.

Boston Celtics (2017–present)

2017–18 season: Rookie season

In a controversial move, Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge dealt away the team's No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft to the Philadelphia 76ers in hopes that he could acquire another valuable draft pick and still target the player he actually wanted, Tatum. Not ranked as high as other prospects underrated on draft boards, Tatum was still on the board as the Celtics drafted him #3 overall on June 22, 2017, with the pick they received from Philadelphia. Tatum was the team's second straight No. 3 pick for a small forward, following Jaylen Brown in 2016. During the 2017 NBA Summer League event in Utah, he displayed his abilities to effect, averaging 18.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 2.0 assists in nearly 33 minutes of action. Later, in Las Vegas, Tatum produced similar results, averaging 17.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0.8 blocks in nearly 32 minutes of action in the three games he was allowed to play. He was named to the All-Summer League Second Team alongside Bryn Forbes, Cheick Diallo, Wayne Selden Jr., and Kyle Kuzma.

In his NBA debut, Tatum recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds as the team's starting power forward in a 102–99 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tatum then recorded a season-high 24 points in a win over the New York Knicks on October 24, 2017. He was named the Eastern Conference's Rookie of The Month for December 2017.

The Celtics finished the season with a record of 55–27, entering the 2018 NBA playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. In Game 1 of the first-round series against the seventh seed Milwaukee Bucks, Tatum recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. In Game 4 he broke his playoff-high with 21 points, and then broke it again in Game 6 with 22. The Celtics defeated the Bucks in Game 7 by a score of 112–96, with Tatum scoring 20 points.

In Game 1 of the second-round series against the third-seed Philadelphia 76ers, Tatum had a career-high 28 points in a 117–101 win, becoming the first Celtics rookie to score 25 or more points in a playoff game since Larry Bird during the 1980 NBA playoffs, also against the 76ers. After posting 21 points in a Game 2 victory, he became the youngest player ever to score at least 20 points in four straight playoff games at the age of 20 years, 61 days, surpassing Kobe Bryant who accomplished that feat during the 1999 NBA playoffs at the age of 20 years, 272 days. After leading the Celtics with 24 points in a Game 3 overtime win in Philadelphia, he became the first Celtics rookie to score 20 points in five straight playoff games. Bird held the previous record of four. At the end of his playoff run, he joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only rookies in playoff history to record 10 games of 20 or more points scored during their first playoff runs; LeBron James would praise Tatum's work there, stating: "He's built for stardom."

On May 22, 2018, Tatum was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team (First Team).

2018–19 season: Sophomore season

In the Celtics 2018–19 season opener, Tatum scored 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assist in a 105–87 win against the Philadelphia 76ers. On October 20, he scored 24 points and 14 rebounds in a 103–101 victory over the New York Knicks. On October 25, Tatum scored 24 points and 6 rebounds in a 101–95 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. On November 16, Tatum recorded 21 points and 7 rebounds in a 123–116 overtime win against the Toronto Raptors. On December 25, he scored 23 points and 10 rebounds in a 121–114 overtime win against the Philadelphia 76ers. On February 5, Tatum tallied 25 points and 7 rebounds in a 103–96 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On March 6, Tatum scored 24 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assist in a 126–120 win against the Sacramento Kings.

2019–20 season: First All-Star and All-NBA appearances

On December 22, 2019, Tatum scored a then career-high 39 points, along with 12 rebounds, in a 119–93 win over the Charlotte Hornets. He would exceed that career-high with 41 points against the New Orleans Pelicans in a 140–105 win on January 11, 2020. On January 30, Tatum was named an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career, being selected as an Eastern Conference reserve. On February 13, Tatum would again score 39 points, while playing 47 minutes and leading Boston to a 141–133 double overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers. On February 23, he matched his career-high 41 points in a 114–112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. As the season was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tatum would shoot 2–18 against the Milwaukee Bucks on July 31, but he would come back the next game scoring 34 points on 11–22 shooting in a 128–124 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on August 2.He was named to the All-NBA Third Team and his first selection of his career.

In the 2020 NBA playoffs, the Celtics were able to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in Tatum's three years in the NBA following series victories over the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors in four and seven games, respectively. However, Boston was eliminated in those Conference Finals by the Miami Heat in six games. In Game 1, with the Celtics trailing by two in the closing seconds, Tatum's game-tying dunk attempt was blocked by Heat center Bam Adebayo with 4.8 seconds left and prompted Miami to a 117–114 victory.

2020–21 season

On November 22, 2020, Tatum and the Celtics agreed to a rookie maximum extension of five years, worth $195 million. On the opening night of the season on December 23, 2020, Tatum totaled 30 points and seven rebounds, alongside a game-winning three-pointer, in a 122–121 win against the Milwaukee Bucks. On January 3, 2021, Tatum had 24 points and a career-high 12 assists and made another game-winning basket in a 122–120 win against the Detroit Pistons. The next day, Tatum scored a season-high 40 points in a 126–114 win against the Toronto Raptors. On January 9, 2021, it was confirmed that Tatum tested positive for COVID-19 and missed multiple games. On 23 February, Tatum was named an Eastern Conference reserve for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. It was his second All-Star game in a row.

On April 9, Tatum had a career-high 53 points, 16 made field goals, and 15 made free throws in a close win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. With his career night, Tatum was the youngest Celtics player to score 50+ points; he also scored the third-highest number of points in a Celtics uniform, behind Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, and became the second player in Celtics history to score 50+ points and grab 10+ rebounds since Bird did it back in November 1989. Tatum and Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls became only the second pair of players in the 2020–21 season to score 50+ points on the same day.

On May 4, Tatum brought the Celtics back from a 32-point deficit against the San Antonio Spurs, a performance that produced the third-largest comeback in NBA history and gave Tatum another career-high of 60 points, tied for the highest points total by a Celtics player (Larry Bird). Tatum was one of three players to score 60+ points without a single turnover and was named Eastern Conference player of the week after averaging 42.7 points per game, 6.0 assists per game, and 6.0 rebounds per game.

In the first game of the play-in tournament on May 18, Tatum scored 50 points, guiding the Celtics to a victory over the Washington Wizards and cementing the team as the seven seed in the Eastern Conference into the 2021 NBA playoffs; Kemba Walker, Tatum's teammate, had 29 points while only one other player (Tristan Thompson) had ten or more points. Tatum set the record for most points in a single play-in tournament game, became one of an elite list of players who scored 50+ points in play-ins/playoffs, and singlehandedly outscored the Wizards in the third quarter and part of the fourth, and was a perfect 17/17 from the free throw line.

In Game 3 of the first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets and their "Big Three" (Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving), Tatum scored 50 points on 50% shooting (16/30), and put up 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. With the feat, Tatum achieved a variety of records, becoming the first player in NBA playoff history to score 50 points after scoring single digits the previous game; he also passed 1,000 points in the playoffs and became the fifth-highest postseason point scorer at age 23 or younger in NBA history as well as the first Celtics player since Isaiah Thomas to score 50+ points in the NBA playoffs and the third youngest player in NBA playoff history to reach that mark in a single game. In terms of franchise records, Tatum became just the sixth person in Celtics history to score 50+ points in a playoff game; he also became the only player in NBA history to score 50+ points more than once in the regular season, 50+ points in a play-in game, and 50+ points in the playoffs. Despite losing to the Nets in five games, Tatum set a Celtics franchise record for most points scored in a three-game span in the playoffs, with a combined total of 122 points.

2021–22 season

On October 25, 2021, in a 140–129 overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets, Tatum recorded 41 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists to lead the Celtics to their first win of the season On January 23, 2022, Tatum scored a season-high 51 points with 10 rebounds, 7 asissts, and a career-high 9 three-pointers in a blowout 116–87 win over the Washington Wizards. On January 26, in a 128–75 win over the Sacramento Kings, Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored at least 30 points in the same game for the third time in the season and seventh time overall; the record of most such games belong to fellow Celtics' Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, who recorded four such games in the 1986–87 NBA season. On February 3, Tatum was selected for his third consecutive All-Star appearance. On March 3, his 24th birthday Tatum scored 21 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists in a 120–107 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The following game, Tatum scored a season-high 54 points, 34 of them in the second half in a 126–120 win over the Brooklyn Nets. This was the fourth time Tatum in his career netted more than 50 points in a game and he is now tied with Larry Bird for the most 50-point games in Celtics history.

Tatum played in the 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship and 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship, making the Eurobasket.com All-World Championship U19 Second Team.

Representing Team USA at the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit, Tatum saw 16 minutes, 57 seconds of action, scoring 14 points, pulling down 4 rebounds, and also had 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Tatum is the son of Justin Tatum and Brandy Cole. Justin Tatum played basketball at Saint Louis University and is a gym teacher and basketball coach at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, from which he graduated in 1997, approximately a year before Jayson's birth; Tatum's father was previously the coach and athletics director at Soldan International Studies High School for six years. Tatum was born when his parents were both 19-year-old undergraduates; his mother Brandy graduated from Saint Louis University School of Law and is now a practicing attorney in the St. Louis area. Tatum is the godson of retired NBA player Larry Hughes, who was his father's high school and college teammate; he is also a cousin of former NBA player and current Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue. As of 2017, Tatum is a spokesperson for Imo's Pizza. Tatum is also a Christian, crediting Jesus for his success and career.

While in high school at Chaminade College Preparatory School, Tatum was good friends with future NHL forward Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames, as the two were placed in the same gym class. Tatum is also good friends with former Duke teammate and current NBA player Harry Giles.

Tatum's son, Jayson Tatum Jr., who is often referred to as Deuce, was born on December 6, 2017.

Endorsements

On June 21, 2019, Tatum signed with the Jordan Brand.