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Jayson Tatum’s father is Justin Tatum, a former basketball player who is now a coach, and who was often Tatum‘s trainer and coach when he was younger. The Boston Celtics star has been open in the past about his complicated relationship with his father when he was growing up in St. Louis, Missouri.
Here’s what you need to know about Jayson Tatum’s father Justin Tatum:
1. Jayson Tatum’s Father Justin Tatum Played Basketball in High School & College & Had a Brief Career Overseas
Justin Tatum met the NBA star’s mother Brandy Cole when he was 16 years old. He spotted her at a mall working at a candy store and the two started dating soon after, the Boston Globe repo. Justin Tatum was a basketball star himself, playing high school basketball at St. Louis’ Christian Brothers College High School. He won a state title with the team in 1997, according to his website bio.
Afterward, he played at Saint Louis University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. During his time playing college basketball, he was named the Conference USA First Team All Defense player, his bio shows. Tatum was just a baby when his father was playing college basketball and the Boston Globe reported that the toddler would often chase the ball at halftime.
Soon after, Justin Tatum’s career took him overseas to the Netherlands and the young boy didn’t see his father much for some time. He returned from Europe to Missouri after what the publication called a “brief, injury-plagued” career, when Tatum was 8 years old.
2. Justin Taytum Was Living in Europe Playing Professional Basketball for the First Several Years of Jayson Tatum’s Life
Tatum’s parents were not together when he was growing up and his father was absent a lot during his early years due to his overseas basketball career. Tatum’s mother told ESPN, “He’s always known him and been in his life, but Jayson has never lived with him. Justin came back from playing overseas when Jayson was about 7 or 8.”
Although his father wasn’t present during the early years, Bleacher Report stated that Tatum’s father called him every day. When he was playing in the Netherlands, Cole-Barnes and Tatum flew to Europe to go visit him.
After his professional career, Justin Tatum decided to return to St. Louis and transition to a career as a basketball coach and focus on training his son as well. He told Bleacher Report that he realized his son had real talent when the budding basketball star was in fifth grade and averaging 25 points a game playing against adults. “The older guys were like, ‘Hold on, how old’s this kid?'” he recalled.
3. Justin Tatum Began a Coaching Career & Was Jayson Tatum’s Coach for Many Years
Justin Tatum began coaching at his alma mater, Christian Brothers College High School. According to his website bio, he went to the State Championship Final Four tournament seven times over 16 years and won three state championships as a coach. He also won Coach of the Year awards four times in the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association.
Justin Tatum coached his son for several years when he was growing up, from around the fourth grade to ninth or 10th grade, Tatum told KSDK. “I used to practice with him four to five times a week,” he said. The first time he beat his father in a one-on-one was in 8th grade, he revealed in another interview, sharing that it was “the best feeling ever.”
Justin Tatum started working at his alma mater right after Tatum finished his freshman season at Chaminade College Preparatory School, and Tatum recalled the difficult decision of whether to switch schools. “Obviously, I wanted to play for him, and he wanted to coach me,” he told ESPN. He was doing well at Chaminade though and had a good rapport with his team, so decided to stay.
4. Jayson Tatum Shared That He Had a Very Complicated Relationship With His Father Growing Up
Having his father as his basketball coach was difficult for Tatum, and he’s been open about the “strain” it put on their relationship. Tatum told KSDK that his father was always harder on him than the other players and often made him cry. “I used to cry every day, I used to basically almost quit basketball every day because of him,” he said.
In fact, Tatum confessed in an interview with Graham Bensinger that having his father as his coach prevented them from having a real father-son relationship. “Me and my dad only ever went to games or practice and to get haircuts, we didn’t go to amusement parks, we didn’t go to picnics or fishing or really have father-son talks,” he shared on “In Depth With Graham Bensinger.” “It was just all basketball.”
Tatum also said his father was really hard on him during games and practices and would “cuss me out in front of everybody, embarrass me, humiliate me, throw the ball at me,” he shared. “In his eyes he wanted me to be the toughest and he wanted me to be the best and that was his way of like, if he made me upset I would play better. In a sense I did, I would get so upset [and] I would get so angry that I would play better.”
The Celtics star recalled one instance when his father picked him up by the shirt and pinned him in the locker room and swore at him in front of the team. Tatum said he was bawling but still came out after halftime and outscored every player and got the win. “I felt like he didn’t like me as a kid because he was so mean to me,” Tatum shared. “Of course he did, but as a kid, I couldn’t separate coach and dad.”
Tatum said he thought maybe it had to do with Justin Tatum’s own father not being around when he was younger, which meant he didn’t know how to be a father. Now that Tatum’s an adult and a father himself, he said he has a much closer relationship with his father and acknowledged that his attempts to make his father proud fueled his rise to the top and contributed to his success.
5. Jayson Tatum & His Father Have a Good Relationship Now
Tatum and his father have a better relationship now and the Celtics star has posted tributes to his father on social media and thanked him for his impact. “He saw the potential in me before I saw it in myself, so having him be that tough on me in basketball really you know, made me tougher on and off the court,” he told KSDK in one interview.
Tatum has often posted photos with his father on Justin Tatum’s birthday or on Father’s Day and told his father, “Love you pops.”
Justin Tatum has also commented on his son’s rise to stardom in the NBA and wrote on Instagram, “These past 2 months you gave me the best Fathers Day gift a dad can ask for.” He said watching his son playing in the NBA and in the 2022 Finals against the Golden State Warriors has been “a dream come true.” He wrote that the Celtics may have lost but Tatum “won in my eyes” for his efforts on the court. He added, “Love you son I’m soooo proud of you!”
Justin Tatum also has two other children who are younger than the NBA star: a son named Jaycob and a daughter named Kayden. The Celtics star has often posted sweet messages about his younger half-siblings on social media.
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