Jayson Tatum Prepares For Celtics Comeback After Achilles Injury, Prioritizes Full Recovery

Jayson Tatum has revealed that he's working toward a full return after his 2025 Achilles tear but isn’t rushing back to the Celtics’ starting lineup.

While the injury caused self-doubt and an identity crisis, the basketballer's family and fellow NBA stars, such as Damian Lillard and Dejounte Murray, provided crucial support.

Now, with greater conviction, Jayson Tatum is focused on regaining his strength and making a big comeback.

Tatum is preparing for a return to action, but the Boston Celtics star isn’t rushing to reclaim his spot in the starting lineup.

He has spent the past several months focused on recovering from the Achilles tear he suffered during the 2025 playoffs.

"Recovery timeline is too early to tell,” Tatum told E! News. “It may be this season. It may be next season—just most importantly, making a full recovery and being 100 percent when I do step back on the floor.”

When the Celtics open the 2025-2026 season against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 22, Tatum may not be playing, but he plans to support Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and the rest of the team from the sidelines.

Looking back, a return to basketball wasn’t always certain after the injury, as Tatum admits it left him shocked and made him worry about his career.

“When that happened, I was in shock,” he recalled, reflecting on the moment he went down during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks in May.

“I couldn't believe it," Tatum said. "My basketball career kind of flashed in front of my eyes, because I envisioned the next X amount of years looking like this, and now, what happens next?”

Tatum admitted that his biggest fears after the injury were, “Will I be the same?” and “Are they going to trade me?”

He added, “All these things went through my mind. And it was a traumatic experience. I'll never forget what I was feeling in that moment.”

Beyond the shock of the injury itself, Tatum also faced an identity crisis, seeing his carefully planned aspirations abruptly put on hold.

So, at one point, the basketball star did consider whether it was time to call it quits on his NBA career.

“When I was younger, I was always able to envision being exactly who I am—Champion, All-Star, having my own shoe, all of those things,” he admitted. “And those early moments when I'm at my mom's house on the couch with my foot elevated, it was hard to envision playing basketball again."

Tatum continued, "It was hard to envision running again. That was kind of deflating, because I've never not been able to envision something before.”

As Tatum considered the possibility of retirement, his two young sons, Deuce, 7, from a previous relationship, and Dylan, 14 months, with girlfriend Ella Mai, were at the center of his thoughts.

"I could have been like, ‘You know what, I'm done. I've accomplished enough,” the 27-year-old recalled. "This is going to be too much to try to overcome. Maybe I should just hang it up. But I thought about the people I would be letting down, the fans. Then I thought about my kids. Use this opportunity to show them, ‘This is what dad went through, and he had a choice to make. We always have choices to make in our lives. What choice are you going to make?”

Surrounded by loved ones, including his mom, Brandy Cole, Tatum committed to his comeback.

“It's been emotional, and I've cried a lot,” he admitted, per E! News. “Having my mom around, my kids, my friends, I can genuinely say I've had an amazing support system around this time.”

Tatum shared that he also leaned on fellow stars Dejounte Murray, Damian Lillard, and Tyrese Haliburton, each of whom experienced Achilles tears during the season.

Despite being at different stages of recovery, they became a key support system as Tatum reached new milestones.

"My conversations with Dejounte and Dame were like ‘Yo, what are you doing now?'” he recalled. “How did it feel to walk on the treadmill? How did it feel to get out of the boot? What are your workouts looking like now?”

The 2024 NBA Champion added that it was helpful, “because we're all in the same boat, and more so than anybody, we understand what each person is going through.”