Fans went wild after Jayson Tatum threw down a two-handed dunk for his first points during his season debut in the Boston Celtics' matchup against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
Tatum finally made his long-awaited debut on March 6. It marked nearly 10 months after tearing his Achilles in Game 4 of the 2025 East Semifinals against the New York Knicks.
Tatum missed the first 62 games of the season, leaving 20 games left for him to potentially take part in. Making his debut against Dallas, he tried to slam a one-handed dunk in the early minutes of the second quarter that was unsuccessful.
TD Garden almost ERUPTED after this Jayson Tatum dunk attempt 👀🗣️
pic.twitter.com/mAlajlxH7W
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 7, 2026
Tatum didn't let that stop him from trying again, completing a two-handed putback jam in the final minutes of the first half. Fans in attendance were happy to see him use that burst of athleticism to make strides in his recovery. Here are some of their reactions.
WELCOME BACK JAYSON TATUM 😤
Tatum gets on the board with a putback dunk and then drains a side-step triple for a QUICK 5 points 🔥pic.twitter.com/wEQoE2OcHl
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 7, 2026
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“Moments like this show why Jayson Tatum is special coming back from injury and still trying to dunk takes courage that’s the mindset of someone who refuses to play scared,” one fan said.
“Jayson Tatum heating up and the Boston crowd loving it,” another remarked.
“The sidestep finally worked 😭,” one commented.
“Good to see him back.. Celtics bout to take over fr,” one replied.
“ABSOLUTE CINEMA,” a fan exclaimed.