The tragedy of Jayson Tatum’s injury didn’t end after he left the court.
He still had to call his parents.
ESPN NBA insider Marc J. Spears gave a glimpse into the tearful call that the Boston Celtics star made to his father, Justin Tatum.
“Jayson ended up giving him a call, once he was able to. They cried on the phone together, and Jayson was asking him, ‘Why me, Dad? Why me? Why does this have to happen to me?’” Spears said on ESPN.
Justin Tatum currently serves as the head coach of Pelita Jaya of the Indonesian Basketball League. According to Spears, the elder Tatum was in South Korea, traveling to a game in Mongolia, when he was watching his son play against the New York Knicks in Game 4.
Justin Tatum told Spears that he was “bawling” after witnessing his son’s injury. But after getting on the phone, Justin Tatum had a message for his son.
Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles tendon and came back. You can do the same.
“He said, ‘Son, this is God’s will. You’re young, you’re going to get through this.’ He reminded him that – isn’t Kobe your idol? Kobe got through this,“ Spears said.
The Celtics announced that Tatum suffered a torn Achilles tendon during Game 4 against the Knicks and underwent surgery on Tuesday.
An Achilles tear is a major injury with a long timeline for return. Tatum will miss the rest of the postseason and is expected to miss a large portion of the 2025-26 season as well.