Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles tendon injury during the Boston Celtics’ Eastern Conference Semifinals loss to the New York Knicks. The All-NBA forward is expected to miss most of the upcoming season.
In recent weeks, Tatum has worked out in the gym and walked around without a protective boot. He appears to be ahead of schedule in terms of his rehab and recovery.
However, it would seem that Tatum almost never made it this far. During an interview with NBC News, Tatum revealed that shortly after suffering his injury, thoughts of retirement began to cross his mind.
“It may sound dramatic, but I remember telling my mom, like ‘Mom, I might be done,” Tatum said. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to overcome this or if I’m up for this challenge.’ You know, I just felt defeated. And there was a time I was like, I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.”
Fortunately for the Celtics and their fan base, he has clearly locked back in. At 27 years old, he is just approaching his prime years and can still return to an elite level where fans and analysts view him among the best players in the world.
Tatum Is Aiming to Play Next Season
In a September 23 appearance on ESPN’s First Take, Tatum also hinted at his desire to return to the court in the upcoming season. That would be a different approach from Tyrese Haliburton, who suffered a similar injury during the Eastern Conference Finals and will miss the entire 2025-26 campaign.
“I haven’t said I’m not playing this season,” Tatum said. “…I don’t go to rehab six days a week for nothing. But with that being said, with being a part of the organization and the Celtics, there is a standard that we play to, that we uphold, regardless of who we have in the lineup, who’s on the team, who’s not, there’s a sense of pride that we have when we put that uniform on, and we always are competing to win a championship, and that standard will not change.
The Celtics will undoubtedly welcome Tatum back once he recovers and receives medical clearance. However, he will need to ramp back up to game speed on the fly, and we may not see him back to his best.
Tatum Has Kept In Touch With Injured Stars
There are currently four NBA stars out with an Achilles tear. Tatum, Haliburton, Damian Lillard and Dejounte Murray will all be on the shelf to begin the season. In the same First Take appearance, Tatum revealed how the quartet has been keeping in touch and sharing the different stages of their respective recoveries.
We have all been in communication, Dejounte Murray, Dame and Tyrese — that I’ve talked to throughout — and it all happened this season,” Tatum said. “We’re all at different points in our rehab and recovery. So it’s less about like, you know, when are you coming back? I text Dame and Dejounte all the time because they’re ahead of me. Like, ‘What are you doing now? What are your workouts looking like now?’ So we’re all just all, you know, in the same boat, just kind of checking up on each other and keeping in touch. You know, it’s been very helpful.”
Clearly, having other players, who are going through the same issues, sharing their process with Tatum has helped keep him focused. However, once they’re all healed and back on the court, it’s safe to assume it will be all business from there on out.
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