Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum was the final Celtic introduced ahead of Friday’s anticipated game against the Mavericks.
Jayson Tatum returned to the parquet floor on Friday. (Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)
Before the 2025-26 NBA season even began, Jayson Tatum was upfront with The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach when asked what he envisioned the next time he stepped out onto the parquet floor in a game.
“I know one thing,” Tatum said. “My first game back will be at home. It will be in TD Garden. 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.”
At that time, Tatum was only a few months removed from suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon during the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. Given the severity of that injury, there was no guarantee that Tatum would be back on the court at any point during the 2025-26 campaign.
But 297 days after Tatum first fell to the hardwood at Madison Square Garden, the Celtics’ superstar was back in Boston’s starting lineup — cleared for game action for a Boston squad that has defied all expectations this year.
And true to his word, Tatum’s first game back with the Celtics came on Causeway Street — with a cascade of cheers signaling his return to the court as the last player introduced before Friday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks.
You can watch the video of Tatum’s return to the court here:
The decibel levels continued to rise once Friday’s game tipped off, with a sea of green and white cheering whenever Tatum had the ball in his hands in the first quarter. Tatum recorded six minutes in his first stint of the season, going 0-for-2 from the field but recording two assists and two rebounds.
Tatum — who missed 62 total games this season while recovering from his injury — will be a major addition to a Celtics team already steeling itself for a promising playoff run.
For all of the fears of 2025-26 being a “bridge” year in Boston due to Tatum’s injury and Boston’s offseason roster overhaul, the Celtics enter Friday’s game in second place in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 41-21.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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