Celtics
"It’s crazy that now he’s 7 and how much time has passed."
Jayson Tatum and his son, Deuce, shared another special moment on Friday. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Jayson Tatum had a special performance in the Celtics’ win over the Bucks, but Friday was also a memorable day for him for another reason.
Tatum’s son, Deuce, celebrated his seventh birthday on Friday. The Celtics celebrated the day with their star and his son, too. In the first quarter of Friday’s game, the Jumbotron at TD Garden displayed a happy birthday message for Deuce Tatum. Prior to the game, members of the Celtics’ social media team gifted the younger Tatum a Spiderman birthday cake.
It was certainly a different birthday celebration than what the elder Tatum had for his seventh birthday.
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“I know I wasn’t on the Jumbotron at a Celtics game,” Tatum initially said when asked what he remembered about his seventh birthday and what he hoped Deuce remembers about Friday.
After Tatum made the initial quip, he spoke about the special bond he’s formed with his son over his NBA career.
“I think for me and him, it’s special that we share these moments together. Deuce was born Dec. 6, 2017,” Tatum said. “That was a month and a half into my rookie year. It’s crazy that now he’s seven and how much time has passed.
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“But it’s been really special. We’ve grown up here together in Boston. We’ve shared a lot of cool moments and special moments here at the Garden. He was excited about the game today. He liked being on the Jumbotron, so it was a pretty cool moment for a 7-year-old.”
Deuce Tatum has been by his father’s side for practically his entire career. Tatum started bringing his son up to the podium for his press conferences late in the 2018-19 season. When the pandemic struck, Deuce Tatum made his way to the NBA’s bubble in Orlando to be by his father’s side during their playoff run.
Over the last few years, Deuce Tatum has turned into a common fixture at Celtics games, often sitting courtside across Boston’s bench. That allowed Tatum to share a memorable moment with Deuce just seconds after the final buzzer sounded on the Celtics’ title win last season as the father embraced his son.
Tatum certainly seems to understand that he and hs son have shared many memorable lifetime experiences together.
“He was born my rookie year, so we’ve been through this journey growing up together,” Tatum told ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth. “I’m only 26, but I felt old today, knowing I’ve got a 7-year-old. But I’m blessed. I’m happy I get to share these moments with him.”
As for the game itself, Tatum may have made his strongest case to win MVP yet this season. He scored 34 points on 12 of 20 shooting (4 of 10 from deep) to go with 10 rebounds and five assists in the Celtics’ 111-105 win.
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Tatum’s fourth quarter was particularly dominant. He scored 14 points, making all five of his shots, to go with three assists as he played the entire frame. Defensively, he guarded and made key stops against Bucks stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
“We’ve played a lot of games, we’ve found a bunch of different ways to win, and we’re a special team,” Tatum said of stepping up in the fourth quarter. “We won a championship last year and we understand the process of each night, it’s going to look different, and we still need to play the right way, our way.
“And regardless of whether we’re hitting shots, we’ve got to be ourselves.”
So, all in all, it was a really memorable night for the Tatum family.
“It wasn’t a playoff game, but it was a special night,” Tatum said. “This is my eighth year and these nights where you’re playing a team that’s really good, has some special players, the crowd is really involved and guys are making plays and you’re feeding off the energy of your teammates of the crowd.
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“The amount of times we’ve won games in moments like that, it’s just like another special night at TD Garden that I’ve been a part of.”
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