Boston Celtics
It’s been almost 10 months since Tatum last played an NBA game. Revisit key moments from his efforts to come back.
Jayson Tatum Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe
-
Celtics list Jayson Tatum as questionable, setting the stage for his return
-
Jayson Tatum to doctor: ‘I ain’t coming back to be no role player’
Jayson Tatum was writhing in pain under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden at the beginning of this lengthy journey.
He was chasing a loose ball in the closing minutes of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals when his achilles’ tendon ruptured, sending him crashing to the floor as he clutched his lower leg.
Tatum is reportedly expected to make his comeback this Friday night at TD Garden when the Celtics host the Dallas Mavericks in a rematch of the 2024 Finals. It will be Maine native Cooper Flagg’s first professional game in Boston, and it will be televised nationally on ESPN.
So, here the Celtics are, approaching the final quarter of the season in control of the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference as they were last year. Except, this time, they’ve done it without Tatum as the star forward put in his rehab work.
How did we get here, with Tatum poised to play so soon? Here’s a look back at what’s transpired since that fateful night in New York City.
May 13, 2025: Celtics announce Tatum underwent surgery
Tatum stayed overnight in New York City to have surgery performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley.
By 4:45 p.m. the next day, the Celtics announced that the surgery was successful and Tatum was expected to make a full recovery. They did not provide a timetable for his return.
Meanwhile, there was still basketball left to be played. The Celtics were trailing the Knicks in the series 3-1 at the time, with Game 5 at TD Garden looming. Once he was out of the hospital, Tatum visited his teammates at the team hotel.
“We feel for [Tatum], of course,” Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis said at the time. “But we have to move forward. He doesn’t want us to be sad and not playing our best basketball. So we’re going to go out there and leave it all out there and live with the results.”
Jaylen Brown finished two rebounds shy (26 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds) of a triple-double as the Celtics beat the Knicks 127-102, forcing a Game 6 in New York.
May 16, 2025: Celtics eliminated from playoffs without Tatum
The return to New York was not kind to the Celtics. The Knicks thrashed them 119-81, marking the first time New York had won a playoff series on its home floor since the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals.
Brown was unable to replicate his Game 5 performance, shooting 8-for-20 from the field with seven turnovers before fouling out in the third quarter. He was the only Celtics starter with more than 10 points.
The Celtics shot 30 percent from 3-point range as a team and were out-rebounded 55-to-36 in the elimination game.
“Losing to the Knicks feels like death,” Brown said. “But I was always taught there’s life after death. So, whatever’s next in the journey, I’ll be ready for.”
Aug. 7 2025: Tatum arrives at Patriots training camp without a walking boot
Nearly three months after the injury, Tatum made an appearance at the Patriots’ joint practice with the Commanders at Gillette Stadium.
He was not wearing a walking boot, a notable development at the time. He shook Drake Maye’s hand afterwards. Maye asked Tatum how he was feeling.
“I’m getting better,” Tatum responded.
Sept. 29, 2025: Tatum says there’s ‘no pressure’ for him to return
Tatum spoke about the team’s expectations for him at Celtics Media Day.
By that point, he was already posting videos of himself shooting and jogging. But, he made it clear that the Celtics weren’t putting pressure on him to come back by a specific date.
“No pressure,” Tatum said. “I’ve stated that. There’s no pressure to return back any sooner than when I’m 100 percent healthy. No pressure from [president of operations Brad Stevens], [coach Joe Mazzulla], the team, the organization. The most important thing is that I’m 100 percent healthy whenever I do come back.”
He had told The Boston Globe the week before that his plan, whenever he did return, was to make his season debut in front of the TD Garden fans.
“I think it’s going to be a special day, and I know one thing: My first game back will be at home, it will be in TD Garden,” Tatum said.“It probably will be emotional, but it’s something I’m looking forward to, just running through that tunnel and being on the court again with all of our fans and sharing that moment with them.”
Oct. 26, 2025: Celtics lose their first three games without Tatum
The Celtics got off to a rocky start without Tatum, losing their first three games of the season.
Philadelphia beat them by one point on opening night, then they traveled to New York and took a loss, and fell to Detroit after that before finally notching a blowout win agains the Pelicans.
Looking back, those are three of the top six teams in the East that they lost to. But, still, it can be easy to forget that the Celtics began this season 0-3.
Dec. 17, 2025: Brad Stevens drops a hint
The Celtics remained tight-lipped about Tatum’s recovery timeline until they announced his status upgrade to questionable via their own injury report in March.
But, there were some hints that he was planning on playing this season, including this one from Brad Stevens.
“One of the things that everybody can see is we didn’t apply for a [disabled player exception] this year, which was a conscious decision for a lot of reasons,” Stevens said. “But the reality is he’s not going to be back until he’s 110 percent healthy and he feels good about it, and that’s a big part of it, right?”
Jan. 19 2026: Tatum has lengthy workout in front of reporters
Tatum spent an hour working out in front of reporters during a practice on a road trip to Detroit, a subtle sign that he had continued to progress in his recovery.
“He even worked out on the basket closest to where the journalists had assembled,” the Globe‘s Adam Himmelsbach wrote.
He did not speak to the media that day, but he was passing, shooting, and dunking in front of them.
Feb. 9, 2026: Tatum assigned to Maine Celtics for practice
The Celtics briefly assigned Tatum to Maine for a practice before quickly recalling him to Boston.
The practice with the G-League affiliate was yet another sign of progress for Tatum in the recovery journey.
ESPN had previously reported that Tatum was participating in controlled 5-on-5 scrimmages with coaches.
March 5, 2026: Celtics upgrade Tatum’s injury status
The Celtics listed Tatum as questionable on their injury report, and ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Tatum is expected to make his season debut against the Mavericks on Friday night.
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
