# Jayson Tatum
**Jayson Christopher Tatum** (born 1998 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American professional basketball player for the [Boston Celtics](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-celtics) of the NBA, a forward drafted third overall in 2017 who won the 2024 NBA championship, has been a five-time All-NBA selection, and signed what was then the largest contract in league history, a five-year deal worth $313,933,410, in July 2024.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tatumja01.html) • [2](https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/23598/jayson-tatum)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Draft | Boston Celtics, first round, 3rd overall, 2017; debuted October 17, 2017[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tatumja01.html) |
| Honors | 6x All-Star, 2024 NBA champion, 5x All-NBA, 2017-18 All-Rookie, 2021-22 Eastern Conference Finals MVP, 2022-23 All-Star Game MVP[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tatumja01.html) |
| Career averages | 23.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists per game on .458/.368/.839 shooting over 601 games[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tatumja01.html) |
| 2024 title run | Team-highs of 25.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists in 19 playoff games; sixth player ever to lead his team in all three categories while winning a title[3](https://www.nba.com/player/1628369/jayson-tatum/bio) |
| Record contract | 5-year, $313,933,410 fully guaranteed Designated Veteran extension signed July 6, 2024, the largest in NBA history at signing[2](https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/23598/jayson-tatum) |
| 2025 injury | Right Achilles tendon ruptured against the Knicks in May 2025; surgery May 13, 2025; returned ahead of schedule in March 2026[4](https://www.reuters.com/sports/celtics-star-jayson-tatum-undergoes-achilles-surgery--flm-2025-05-13/) • [5](https://www.forbes.com/profile/jayson-tatum/) |
| Team USA | Gold medals at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, plus three junior world titles (2013 U16, 2014 U17, 2015 U19)[6](https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Jayson-Tatum/Summary/52034) • [7](https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/jayson-tatum/4423) |
## Early life and high school career
Tatum grew up in St. Louis, the son of [Justin Tatum](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-tatum) and Brandy Cole, and attended Chaminade College Prep.[7](https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/jayson-tatum/4423) As a senior he averaged 29.5 points and 9.1 rebounds with six 40-point games and led Chaminade to the Missouri Class 5A state title. He was named 2016 Gatorade National Player of the Year, only the second Duke-bound player to win it after [Jabari Parker](https://www.edgepedia.org/jabari-parker) in 2012, and ranked the No. 3 overall recruit in the 2016 class by ESPN and Rivals.[7](https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/jayson-tatum/4423)
**Early training.** He began working with NBA trainer Drew Hanlen at age 14, and when DraftExpress first released its 2016 mock draft in April 2016, Tatum debuted at No. 1.[8](https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/21610627/how-jayson-tatum-became-better-player-one-celtics-traded-nba)
## College and the 2017 draft
Tatum played one season at Duke under [Mike Krzyzewski](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-krzyzewski).[7](https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/jayson-tatum/4423) • [9](https://www.stlmag.com/news/sports/jayson-tatum-drafted-by-the-boston-celtics/) A foot injury cost him the first eight games of 2016-17; he debuted December 3 against Maine and finished with 29 games and 27 starts, averaging 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks.[7](https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/jayson-tatum/4423) He was a third-team All-ACC selection and made the All-ACC Tournament first team after averaging 22.0 points and 7.5 rebounds as Duke won four games in four days to take the ACC championship. On February 15, 2017, he set a Duke freshman single-game record with six three-pointers in a 28-point game at No. 15 Virginia.[7](https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/jayson-tatum/4423) He declared for the draft on March 22, 2017.[7](https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/jayson-tatum/4423)
**The draft-night trade.** Boston held the No. 1 overall pick, acquired from Brooklyn in 2013, but was confident Tatum would still be available at No. 3 and traded the top pick to Philadelphia on June 22, 2017, for the No. 3 pick plus either the Lakers' 2018 first-round pick (if it fell between 2 and 5) or the Kings' 2019 first-round pick.[10](https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/summer-062217-stevens-ainge-enthralled-tatums-potential) [Danny Ainge](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-ainge) confirmed the Celtics would have taken Tatum first: "We would have picked [Tatum] with the first pick... We like his size and length, his rebounding, his shooting, his intelligence, his character."[10](https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/summer-062217-stevens-ainge-enthralled-tatums-potential)
## NBA career
Tatum's scoring rose in almost every season. He averaged 13.9 points as a rookie in 2017-18, 15.7 in 2018-19, 23.4 in 2019-20, 26.4 in 2020-21, 26.9 in 2021-22, a career-high 30.1 in 2022-23, 26.9 in 2023-24, and 26.8 in 2024-25.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tatumja01.html) As a rookie he helped Boston reach the Eastern Conference Finals, and he was named the series MVP in 2022.[11](https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/jayson-tatum) His 2022-23 season brought a fourth-place finish in MVP voting and an All-NBA First Team nod.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tatumja01.html)
**The 2024 championship.** In 2023-24 Tatum played 74 games, averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and a career-high 4.9 assists, and made a third straight All-NBA First Team. In the playoffs he led Boston with 25.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 19 games on 40.4 minutes per night, closing out a 4-1 Finals win over the [Dallas Mavericks](https://www.edgepedia.org/dallas-mavericks) for the franchise's record 18th championship.[3](https://www.nba.com/player/1628369/jayson-tatum/bio) • [12](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5609611/2024/07/01/jayson-tatum-celtics-extension-record/) He became the sixth player in NBA history to win a title while leading his team in playoff points, rebounds, and assists, joining [Larry Bird](https://www.edgepedia.org/larry-bird), Tim Duncan, LeBron James, and [Hakeem Olajuwon](https://www.edgepedia.org/hakeem-olajuwon).[3](https://www.nba.com/player/1628369/jayson-tatum/bio)
## Playing style and skills
Tatum's shot creation is built on footwork and separation. In 2019-20, roughly 20 percent of his three-point attempts came after a step-back and he made 42.7 percent of them, up from about 11 percent of his threes at a 27 percent clip the season before.[13](https://www.gq.com/story/jayson-tatum-boston-celtics-step-back-three) Hanlen's development plan assembled the finishing package from named models: [Giannis Antetokounmpo](https://www.edgepedia.org/giannis-antetokounmpo)'s balance on long strides through the lane, [Luka Dončić](https://www.edgepedia.org/luka-doncic)'s step-back package, [James Harden](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-harden)'s deceleration, and LeBron James's lowered shoulder. The work showed in the numbers: Tatum went from shooting 55.4 percent to 65.9 percent on shots within 5 feet, per NBA Stats, trailing only Antetokounmpo and James among non-bigs taking at least five rim shots per game.[14](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2609137/2021/05/24/inside-jayson-tatums-journey-to-become-a-complete-offense/)
**Defense.** RealGM's 2017 pre-draft report credited him with an eight-foot-10 standing reach, 1.4 blocks per 40 minutes in rim protection, and judged him better as a switch defender than a full-time lead ball-handler defender; it also noted he turned the ball over on just 15 percent of possessions despite a 26.6 percent usage rate.[15](https://basketball.realgm.com/analysis/245924/Prospect-Report-Jayson-Tatum-Of-Duke) Tracking data later supported the defensive case: Boston allowed 0.82 points per play when Tatum defended the ball handler on screens, the sixth-best mark among players facing at least 300 picks, and the Celtics' defensive rating was 101.8 with him on the court versus 107.3 when he sat.[16](https://www.espn.co.uk/nba/story/_/id/28594984/i-hope-offended-potential-jayson-tatum) Plus-minus models disagree with the tracking picture: the xRAPM model rates him at 2.7 offensive and -1.7 defensive adjusted plus-minus, with multiyear RAPM of 1.3 on offense and -0.7 on defense, meaning the adjusted plus-minus family rates his defensive impact below average even as on/off and tracking data favor him.[17](https://xrapm.com/player_pages/1628369.html)
## By the numbers
Through nine seasons Tatum has career averages of 23.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on .458/.368/.839 shooting splits over 601 games.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tatumja01.html) His playoff scoring has consistently exceeded his regular-season marks: 18.5 points per game as a rookie, 25.7 in 2020, 25.6 in 2022, 25.0 in the 2024 title run, and 24.2 over 127 career playoff games.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tatumja01.html)
**Milestones.** He has scored the most playoff points of any player age 26 or younger, 2,711 in 113 games, passing [Kobe Bryant](https://www.edgepedia.org/kobe-bryant)'s 2,694 in 119 games.[3](https://www.nba.com/player/1628369/jayson-tatum/bio) On January 27, 2024, he passed 11,000 career points, the seventh player in NBA history to do so before his 26th birthday.[3](https://www.nba.com/player/1628369/jayson-tatum/bio) He is the first player in NBA history whose scoring, rebounding, and assist averages improved in each of his first six seasons.[3](https://www.nba.com/player/1628369/jayson-tatum/bio) Cleaning the Glass records his 2021-22 on-court plus/minus impact at +7.1 over 81 games.[18](https://www.cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4268/onoff) Basketball-[Reference](https://www.edgepedia.org/reference) puts his career playing earnings at at least $210,103,500.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tatumja01.html)
## What has changed since 2023
Three events define Tatum's recent record. First, the 2024 championship and the contract that followed: on July 6, 2024, he signed a five-year, $313,933,410 fully guaranteed Designated Veteran extension with an average annual salary of $62,786,682, the largest contract in NBA history at signing, including a 2029-30 player option; his 2026-27 base salary and cap hit is $58,456,566.[2](https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/23598/jayson-tatum) • [19](https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/02/sport/jayson-tatum-contract-boston-celtics-spt-intl) The deal replaced the $37 million player option he had held for 2025-26 and followed a four-year, $30.07 million rookie deal (2017) and a five-year, $163 million maximum extension with 30 percent supermax language (November 25, 2020).[2](https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/23598/jayson-tatum) • [12](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5609611/2024/07/01/jayson-tatum-celtics-extension-record/)
**The Achilles injury.** In the 2025 playoffs, the 27-year-old Tatum tore his right [Achilles tendon](https://www.edgepedia.org/achilles-tendon) against the [New York Knicks](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-knicks) while lunging for a loose ball, and underwent surgery on May 13, 2025, ending his postseason. No timetable was announced, though a full recovery was expected.[4](https://www.reuters.com/sports/celtics-star-jayson-tatum-undergoes-achilles-surgery--flm-2025-05-13/) • [20](https://apnews.com/article/jayson-tatum-achilles-tendon-bd8eb8e53aacf33d45e03e230d11386d) He had been expected to miss the entire following season, but returned ahead of schedule in March 2026.[5](https://www.forbes.com/profile/jayson-tatum/) In his first 16 games back, at age 27, he averaged 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 32.6 minutes, shooting .411 from the field and .329 from three.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tatumja01.html)
## National team career
Tatum won three USA Basketball junior gold medals: the 2013 FIBA Americas U16, the 2014 FIBA U17 World, and the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championships.[7](https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/jayson-tatum/4423) At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics he averaged 15.2 points in 20:32 minutes over six games and won gold.[6](https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Jayson-Tatum/Summary/52034)
**Paris 2024.** His role shrank sharply: he played only four games, averaging 5.3 points in 17:42 minutes, and was held out of two of the team's first five games, both against Serbia, though he played in the gold-medal game against France.[6](https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Jayson-Tatum/Summary/52034) • [11](https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/jayson-tatum) • [21](https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-basketball-tatum-34a79efe773cefdae616fa6dc34f81b3) Coach Steve Kerr attributed the benchings to a rotation logjam rather than anything about Tatum: "It's not what I'm not seeing from Jayson. It's what I've seen from the other guys... it's just hard to play 11 people, even in an NBA game."[21](https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-basketball-tatum-34a79efe773cefdae616fa6dc34f81b3)
## Off the court
After the 2024 title, Tatum appeared on the cover of NBA 2K25.[22](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/basketball/articles/c2q0ld7ggg7o) Per a 2022 interview, he spends only his endorsement money rather than his NBA salary, an arrangement made with his mother.[5](https://www.forbes.com/profile/jayson-tatum/)
## Legacy and reception
Tatum has finished in the top six of MVP voting twice without winning, fourth in 2022-23 and sixth in 2023-24.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tatumja01.html) His franchise standing rests on measurable markers: the second-most three-pointers in Celtics history, 1,296, behind only Paul Pierce's 1,823, and membership in the six-player group, alongside Bird, Duncan, James, and Olajuwon, of champions who led their teams in playoff points, rebounds, and assists.[3](https://www.nba.com/player/1628369/jayson-tatum/bio)
## References
1. [Jayson Tatum Stats, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tatumja01.html)
2. [Jayson Tatum Contract, Salary & Cap Hit, Spotrac](https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/23598/jayson-tatum)
3. [Jayson Tatum bio, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/player/1628369/jayson-tatum/bio)
4. [Celtics star Jayson Tatum undergoes Achilles surgery, Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sports/celtics-star-jayson-tatum-undergoes-achilles-surgery--flm-2025-05-13/)
5. [Jayson Tatum, Forbes Profile](https://www.forbes.com/profile/jayson-tatum/)
6. [Jayson Tatum Player Profile, RealGM](https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Jayson-Tatum/Summary/52034)
7. [Jayson Tatum, 2016-17, Duke University](https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/jayson-tatum/4423)
8. [How Tatum became a better player than the one Boston traded for, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/21610627/how-jayson-tatum-became-better-player-one-celtics-traded-nba)
9. [St. Louis basketball star Jayson Tatum drafted by Boston Celtics, St. Louis Magazine](https://www.stlmag.com/news/sports/jayson-tatum-drafted-by-the-boston-celtics/)
10. [Stevens, Ainge Enthralled by Tatum's Potential, NBA.com/Celtics](https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/summer-062217-stevens-ainge-enthralled-tatums-potential)
11. [Jayson Tatum, Team USA profile](https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/jayson-tatum)
12. [Jayson Tatum, Celtics finalizing NBA-record $314 million extension, The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5609611/2024/07/01/jayson-tatum-celtics-extension-record/)
13. [Jayson Tatum's Step-back Three, GQ](https://www.gq.com/story/jayson-tatum-boston-celtics-step-back-three)
14. [Inside Jayson Tatum's journey to become a complete offense, The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2609137/2021/05/24/inside-jayson-tatums-journey-to-become-a-complete-offense/)
15. [Prospect Report: Jayson Tatum of Duke, RealGM](https://basketball.realgm.com/analysis/245924/Prospect-Report-Jayson-Tatum-Of-Duke)
16. [The potential of Jayson Tatum, ESPN](https://www.espn.co.uk/nba/story/_/id/28594984/i-hope-offended-potential-jayson-tatum)
17. [Jayson Tatum, xRAPM player page](https://xrapm.com/player_pages/1628369.html)
18. [Jayson Tatum on/off stats, Cleaning the Glass](https://www.cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4268/onoff)
19. [Jayson Tatum: Celtics reportedly sign forward to largest contract in league history, CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/02/sport/jayson-tatum-contract-boston-celtics-spt-intl)
20. [Celtics' Jayson Tatum is the latest of many star athletes who've torn an Achilles tendon, AP](https://apnews.com/article/jayson-tatum-achilles-tendon-bd8eb8e53aacf33d45e03e230d11386d)
21. [Kerr says Tatum's minutes at Paris Olympics come down to a mathematical logjam, AP](https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-basketball-tatum-34a79efe773cefdae616fa6dc34f81b3)
22. [Jayson Tatum: Team USA basketball star on Paris 2024, mental health and more, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/basketball/articles/c2q0ld7ggg7o)
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*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license