Former Celtics HC Reached Out to Jayson Tatum After Achilles Tear

Oct 8, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and guard Jaylen Brown (7) look on from the bench during the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka has been in regular contact with Jayson Tatum regarding his Achilles injury.

Udoka coached Tatum while he was the head coach in Boston before he left the organization following a scandal involving inappropriate conduct.

The Celtics reached the NBA Finals in 2022-2023 under Udoka, and he has the Houston Rockets competing as a contender in the Western Conference.

Since leaving, the Boston Celtics have won an NBA title under the new leadership of head coach Joe Mazzulla.

However, last season, during the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, Tatum tore his Achilles, ending his playoff run early, and ruling him out for most, if not all, of this season.

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Udoka contacted Tatum after his injury to ensure he's okay and to offer support, given his experience with two serious ACL injuries.

“Yeah, I’ve had two ACL [injuries] myself. I hit him up immediately and have stayed in contact throughout," Udoka revealed ahead of the Houston Rockets game against Boston.

“You see the progress, and I just try to encourage him to look at these benchmarks that you’re going to have after a month or two months.

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“You see him on the court and doing some things already, so he’s kind of passed that point. Yeah, we talk regularly, and I encourage him any way I can.

“I know he reached out to a lot of people with Achilles injuries, so he’s in good hands.”

How Does Jayson Tatum Feel About Ime Udoka?

Tatum has spoken highly about Udoka, noting the impact that the one season with the coach had on the core of players.

“Ime, that one year was special,” Tatum said. “First time I made first team All-NBA, went to the Finals, at that point it was the best season I had and he instilled something in the organization that was needed at the time.

“I think Ime, he’s big on toughness and physicality and taking on the challenge and going at people. And that’s what we did that year, right? We had a tough start.

"But him as our head coach, he never wavered and we turned out season around. We was hungry. And got to the Finals and came up short. We loved to have him around. He’s an amazing person, amazing coach.”

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