Jayson Tatum Confronts His Past at Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK — Jayson Tatum was restless. Boston had just finished its morning shootaround at Madison Square Garden, returning Tatum to the same building where last season ended, with the All-NBA forward crumpled on the Knicks’ home floor, his Achilles ruptured, his future uncertain. Back at the team hotel, Tatum went into his routine. Lunch, shower, nap. But he couldn’t sleep. His stomach churned. His mind raced. After a few minutes he jumped out of bed, bolted to the bathroom and threw up.

“Just nervous, anxious,” Tatum tells Sports Illustrated in an empty Celtics locker room on Thursday. “But I’m glad I’m walking out of here. I’m glad I played.”

So much digital ink has been spilled about Tatum’s comeback, all of it deserved. Other players have returned faster from an Achilles injury. None have bounced back better. Tatum scored 15 points in his debut last month. Three weeks later, he was the NBA’s Player of the Week. On Thursday, Tatum played 40 minutes for the first time, scoring 24 points and collecting 13 rebounds in a 112–106 loss to New York.

“It was a big moment, a big hurdle for me,” said Tatum. “I was nervous and anxious to come back here. Obviously, I wanted to win and play crazy, but more importantly, I just kind of wanted to walk off the court.”

Tatum has checked off countless boxes in his recovery. Walking. Running. Playing. This one felt different. Before the opening tip he stood in his familiar position, behind the center, just outside the three-point line on his own end … in nearly the exact spot he hit the floor nearly 11 months earlier. Breathe, Tatum told himself. It’s going to be O.K. Did he realize where he was standing, I asked Tatum. “100%,” he said. “I mean, it’s still with me.”

“It was just kind of like being back out there for the first time again was just, it was a lot,” Tatum added. “Especially in the beginning. So it took me a while to kind of calm down.”

More like a full half. Tatum was 2 of 6 from the field in the first quarter. He missed all five of his shots in the second. In the second half, he got cooking. He scored eight points in the third quarter, connecting on 3-of-6 attempts. He added six more in the fourth. Playing without Jaylen Brown, Boston battled the Knicks into the final minute, before a pair of Josh Hart threes put the game away.

“Obviously a ton of emotions on a day like this,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “But I think once the game started, he kind of got into a game flow.”

Said Baylor Scheierman, “Jayson was Jayson. Pretty calm, cool and collected out there. Didn’t really notice much of a difference out there tonight.”

Jayson was Jayson. It’s the highest compliment, really. Nine years into his career, Tatum is a superstar. He has made six All-Star teams, five All-NBA, finished in the top-six in MVP voting in each of the last four seasons. Brown earned Finals MVP in 2024, but no one will argue, including Brown, that in a five-game blitzing of Dallas that Tatum wasn’t equally important.

Last May, Tatum thought those days were gone forever. When he hit the floor, he knew his Achilles snapped. He heard the pop. He didn’t feel pain. Just disbelief. He wondered if he would get back. He wondered if the Celtics would still want him. He would wake up in the middle of the night just staring at his foot. At his lowest he told his mother, Brandy, “I don’t know if I can do this anymore.”

Tatum has been open about his recovery. In interviews, which began even before training camp. In his documentary, The Quiet Work, which has chronicled every step. Earlier in the week, he admitted he was “not thrilled” about returning to MSG. “I think one of his greatest strengths is just his vulnerability and openness and his understanding,” said Mazzulla. It’s helped him, Tatum said. And he hopes it helps others, too.

“When I went down, millions of people were watching it,” Tatum said. “So it’s a lot of people that have paid attention to this journey. And I’ve been candid about it from the beginning that, hopefully, my experience and the way I’ve approached and attacked this has inspired somebody out there that is not necessarily going through an injury, but maybe a tough time. And hopefully, they can witness or see what I’ve tried to accomplish and appreciate and be inspired by that.”

And what he’s still trying to do. Boston has not just stayed afloat in Tatum’s absence. They have thrived. Brown is an MVP candidate, Neemias Queta is in the mix for the Most Improved Player award and a revamped roster has coalesced under Mazzulla, a front-runner for Coach of the Year. A gap season has turned into one with 54 wins—and counting. Tatum’s play has stunned teams that have faced him. “It’s amazing that he is back playing at this level,” said Knicks coach Mike Brown. It’s turbocharged the Celtics offense, giving them the kind of firepower that has fans—and oddsmakers—believing in the team’s chances of winning another title.

Tatum won’t look that far ahead. Thursday’s game was another box checked. “One of the ones that was at the top,” said Tatum. With the Celtics and Knicks locked in a battle for the No. 2 seed, Tatum knows there is a good chance he will be back in New York next month, in the exact situation he was a year ago.

“Today was important for me,” said Tatum, “especially when I made the decision to come back and then made the decision to play today. I’m glad I did. I feel a lot better today, even after the loss.”

Grabbing his bag, Tatum ducked out of the locker room, toward the team bus and into the chilly Manhattan night. Stars on Tatum’s level hate any losses. But Tatum breathed a sigh of relief after this one. This one, he walked away from.

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