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Jayson Tatum Injury Causes NBA Great To Question Today's Shoes

Shandel Richardson

May 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) is helped off the court by after an injury in the second half during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Tatum would leave the game with an injury after this play. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
May 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) is helped off the court by after an injury in the second half during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Tatum would leave the game with an injury after this play. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Former NBA player Nick Van Exel had a different take on the Jayson Tatum injury.

Tatum sustained a torn Achilles for the Boston Celtics earlier this week against the New York Knicks. He is out the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery. The defending champion Celtics are facing elimination despite winning Game 5 Wednesday.

After the Tatum injury, Van Exel questioned the shoe choice of today's player. He said too many are wearing low-tops.

Here's what Van Exel wrote on X: "There have been Achilles tears throughout the years but my thoughts on them is that they happen more now and I think it has something to do with them dam lows the players wear nowadays. Cover them ankles up fellas."

Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are other recent stars to deal with Achilles injuries. In the 1980s and `90s, it was more common for players to wear high-top shoes. Van Exel was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1993. He played 13 seasons, making his lone All-Star Game appearance in 1998.

When fans questioned his take, Van Exel doubled-down on his comments.

He wrote on X: "I really believe it’s a part of it. Been saying it for years. It’s been happening to much over the past 5-7 yrs and all players are wearing lows. I don’t even know how you hoop in lows."

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here