Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was carried off the court in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s Game 4 loss of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks. The devastating injury, believed to be a ruptured Achilles tendon, could sideline the power forward for the rest of the playoffs and potentially all of next season.
CBS News reported that Boston is on the brink of playoff elimination, trailing 3-1 in the series after falling 121-113 to New York. Tatum’s injury was an added blow to the team after going down just under three minutes left in the game.
Tatum had to be helped off the court after his injury
He attempted to lunge after the ball when teammate Jaylen Brown had turned it over, but the 27-year-old never retrieved it. Instead, he collapsed to the ground, grabbing his right heel in pain.
Jayson Tatum was helped off the court late in Game 4 after an apparent leg injury on this play. pic.twitter.com/UF8D4mxqlo
— ESPN (@espn) May 13, 2025
Tatum remained on the floor for several minutes, prompting a timeout as Celtics personnel rushed to assist him. He could not put weight on his right foot and had to be carried to the locker room, according to a clip shared by ESPN on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In a separate video, Tatum appeared visibly emotional as he was wheeled through Madison Square Garden. He is expected to undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
Jayson Tatum was emotional while leaving the game in a wheelchair from a non-contact injury. pic.twitter.com/ZtUGRedUzg
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 13, 2025
What are the Celtics players saying?
Several ofTatum’s teammates expressed concern, including center-forward Al Horford, who saidTatum’s well-being was his top priority.
“I mean, at this point,I’m concerned about Jayson,”Celtics centerAl Horford said, according to ESPN. “That’s the most important to me. …The game stuff,we’ll addressit. ButI’m just hoping thathe’s OK.”
After Mondaynight’s loss, Brown also shared his thoughts aboutTatum injury status and vowed he and the team would be ready for the next game.
“I thinkeverybody’s concerned with Jayson,”Brown said in a statement obtained by Boston.com. “I’m not sure how bad it is.Didn’t look great. But I think everybody is kind of more concerned with [the injury].Obviously the loss is huge. Butwe’ve got to get ready for Game 5, sowe’ll take the night and pick our heads up tomorrow and put together a game plan to come out on ourown floor to keep this series alive.”
“I mean,obviously that’s our brother, and you hate to see him go down,”Derrick White added, per the outlet. “We just know the type of guy he is, andit’s just tough to see him go down. Butobviously, right now,it’s pretty low because of the game, and we just got to find a way to win Game 5.”
Did Tatum suffer a torn Achilles tendon?
According to NESN, several doctors confirmed after reviewing the play that caused Tatum to go down that he suffered a torn Achilles, which takes nearly a year to recover.
“My concern is a torn right Achilles tendon for Jayson Tatum,” Dr. Jesse Morse, a board-certified physician who is also the CEO of Injury Expertz, shared in a tweet on his X account. “Pushed off, leg gave out, immediately grabbed, writhing in pain. Couldn’t bear any weight and needed to be wheelchaired off.”
Another doctor, Dr. Evan Jefferies, who specializes in physical therapy, agreed with Morse’s analysis.
“The way he stepped back and immediately kind of just gave up his right leg and went to the ground,” Jeffries said on his podcast Monday night. “You can kind of see when his foot steps on the ground, and he goes into plantar flexion, and his heel drops and you kind of see a little reverberation, a little vibration up the calf. Unfortunately, those are typically signs of Achilles rupture, Achilles tear of the tendon.”
A third doctor, Dr. Brian Sutterer, also agreed and said in a YouTube video going over the play: “This is going to be an Achilles tendon injury until proven otherwise.”