On Tuesday (Monday morning, US time), Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum went to “The Today Show” and spoke at length about the immediate aftermath of his Achilles tear in Game 4 of the Celtics’ Eastern Conference Semis showdown against the New York Knicks last season. It was a revealing interview to say the least, with the one-time champ opening up about the mental toll of the injury and hinting at possibly coming back in the 2025–26 NBA Season.
Jayson Tatum Says He Felt ‘Betrayed’ by Basketball, Thought He Was ‘Done’
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jayson Tatum admitted that the injury, which will likely keep him out of the NBA for eight to twelve months, was “a hard pill to swallow” because he had given his all to basketball and that it was suddenly and painfully “taken away” from him.
“I’ve had the same passion since I was 3. I always wanted to be kind of who I am. I could envision it, and it just kind of felt like it was taken away from me, and that was a hard pill to swallow,” Tatum shared. “I kind of felt betrayed by the game of basketball; something I love so much that I gave my all to that was kind of taken away. That was tough.”
It turns out, the injury was so tough on Tatum that he even questioned his own ability to recover from it.
“It may sound dramatic, but I remember telling my mom, like ‘Mom, I might be done. I don’t know if I’ll be able to overcome this or if I’m up for this challenge.’ You know, I just felt defeated. And there was a time I was like, I don’t know if I want to do this anymore,” he added.
The inner struggle and second-guessing are understandable. An Achilles tear is a very serious injury that requires surgery (Tatum got his a couple of days after the injury), months of painstaking rehab, a period of readjustment to competitive hoops, and plenty of self-doubt along the way. But complete recovery isn’t impossible, with Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and the late Kobe Bryant among the notable NBA players who have come back from an Achilles tear.
Comeback Loading for Jayson Tatum
With his work ethic and passion for hoops, it’s nearly a sure bet that the 27-year-old Jayson Tatum will be able to come back 100% from his Achilles tear. That comeback, really, is not a question of if but of when. And it appears the former Duke Blue Devil has a goal in mind already as to his return from injury, though full recovery is the first and foremost among his plans.
“That is the million-dollar question,” Tatum said when asked about his potential comeback. “I think for me and my team, the doctors, the organization, the most important thing is making a full recovery, [and] being back 100%. Not rushing it.”
Tatum didn’t rule out a return this season either, emphasizing that he has never definitively said he won’t play in the 2025–26 NBA Season.
“I haven’t said like, ‘Yo, I’m not playing this season,’ or anything like that,” he pointed out. “I have a goal in my mind… I’m not working out, rehabbing six days a week for no reason.”
Jayson Tatum returning this season will surely be a feel-good story. But for now, Celtics fans will have to play the long game and hope for the best for their superstar.
