Jayson Tatum won’t be seen on an NBA court for a long time after a devastating ankle injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks. And he won’t be seen in commercials, either.
Ads featuring NBA stars traditionally increase exponentially during the NBA playoffs. One of those in the rotation this year was a commercial spot starring Tatum promoting the new Superman movie from Warner Bros. Discovery.
Unfortunately, the timing could not have been worse for either party.
Not only were the Celtics on the verge of falling 3-1 behind to the Knicks in their series, Tatum’s injury has cast a dark cloud over not just this postseason, but potentially all of next season as it’s possible the All-NBA player has to sit out the 2025-2026 season.
According to Jacob Feldman at Sportico, the ad is being pulled in the wake of the Celtics star’s devastating Achilles injury.
An ad promoting the July 11 release of Superman made its debut last week starring the 27-year-old All-NBA player, who rips away a button-down shirt to reveal a red and yellow S on his chest after the titular hero takes the day off and numerous voices ask, “Who’s going to sub in for Superman?”
A follow-up spot explains Clark Kent was shirking his duties to watch the NBA playoffs.
The commercials were already receiving mixed reactions online, given they landed as Boston faced a 2-0 deficit in a second-round series with the New York Knicks. Now, they’re gone. The campaign has been indefinitely suspended following Tatum’s long-term injury, according to a person familiar with the decision.
While the Celtics still have the ability to defeat the Knicks and even win a title without him, his absence has greatly diminished their chances of doing so.
For Jayson Tatum personally, the ad represented a moment for him to break out in the ongoing “face of the NBA” debate. In spite of being the best player on the best team in the league, Jayson Tatum has been routinely passed over because, for lack of a better explanation, he lacks the it factor that someone like Anthony Edwards possesses. A major nationwide ad campaign positioning himself as the NBA’s Superman could have changed that narrative. But it sadly wasn’t meant to be.