Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum is the son of Justin Tatum and Brandy Cole-Barnes. His father played professional basketball and became a basketball coach, while his mother raised him as a single mother after becoming pregnant during her first year of college. Tatum has a younger brother, Jaycob, and is the godson of former NBA player Larry Hughes, who was Justin Tatum's teammate in high school and college. He is also a cousin of former NBA player and Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue.

Tatum has two sons. His first son, Jayson Jr., is commonly known as Deuce, and he and singer-songwriter Ella Mai welcomed a son together in 2024.

Tatum first gained widespread recognition at Chaminade College Preparatory School in Creve Coeur, Missouri. During his senior season in 2015-16, he averaged 29.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, recorded six 40-point games, and led Chaminade to the Missouri Class 5A state championship. He was named the 2016 Gatorade National Player of the Year and played in both the McDonald's All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic. He finished his high-school career as Chaminade's all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

Tatum committed to Duke University as a five-star recruit and played one season for the Blue Devils in 2016-17 after missing the first eight games with a foot injury. He averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, helped Duke win the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, and earned All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman honors. He entered the 2017 NBA draft after his freshman season.

The Boston Celtics selected Tatum with the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He made his NBA debut with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors, and was named to the 2018 NBA All-Rookie First Team. During his first playoff run, he became the first Celtics rookie since Larry Bird to score at least 25 points in a playoff game and joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as one of only two rookies to score 20 or more points in 10 postseason games.

Tatum became an All-Star for the first time in 2020 and made the All-NBA Third Team that season. In 2021, he scored 60 points against the San Antonio Spurs while helping Boston overcome a 32-point deficit, tying Larry Bird for the highest single-game total in Celtics history at the time. In the 2021-22 season, he won the inaugural Eastern Conference finals MVP award named for Bird after helping Boston reach the NBA Finals.

In 2023, Tatum scored 55 points in the NBA All-Star Game, setting the event's scoring record and winning the game's MVP award. He also scored 51 points in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers, setting the NBA record for points in a Game 7. Tatum and Jaylen Brown became the Celtics' leading duo during Tatum's early Boston career and played together as the team reached multiple Eastern Conference finals.

The Celtics won the 2024 NBA championship after posting the NBA's best regular-season record. Tatum led Boston in points, rebounds, and assists during the championship run, becoming the sixth player to lead a championship team in all three categories. During the 2024-25 playoffs, he ruptured his right Achilles tendon in a second-round game against the New York Knicks after recording 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, and two blocks. He returned to play in March 2026, about 10 months after surgery.

Tatum represented the United States at the 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship and the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship. The U.S. team won the under-19 championship in 2015, and Tatum was named to the Eurobasket.com All-World Championship U19 Second Team.

He won Olympic gold medals with the United States at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held in 2021, and the Paris 2024 Olympics. At Tokyo, he averaged 15.2 points per game and was the team's second-highest scorer behind Kevin Durant. His role was smaller in Paris, where he averaged 5.3 points per game as the United States won a second consecutive gold medal.