'Am I Going To Get Traded?' Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Opens Up About Achilles Tear

NBA star Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks.

The injury happened on May 12 in New York at Madison Square Garden.

Tatum, who underwent surgery the next day, opened up about his devastating injury during an interview with Eileen Finan of PEOPLE.

“It sounded like a gunshot,” Tatum said. “It was almost as if I had headphones on when I heard it. It was the loudest pop. It’s so triggering. It was a sad day. I just kept saying, ‘No, no, no way this just happened to me.’ I’m turning on my butt, smacking the ground, ’cause I knew right away what just happened.

“I literally sat there and cried for two hours ’cause so many things ran through my mind: ‘Damn, is my career over? Am I going to get traded? Are all my partners going to drop me?’ My basketball career flashed in front of my eyes. I’m in my prime, one of the best basketball players in the world, and it felt like it was all taken away.”

Tatum, 27, has made great progress in his rehab, so much so that he hasn’t ruled out playing in 2025-26.

“I’m doing everything in my power to get back as healthy as I can, as fast as I can,” Tatum said. “Nobody’s putting any pressure on me to come back at a certain point. But I’m also not ruling out that I’m not playing this season. The first most important thing is making a full recovery, being back 100% before I step on the floor, not compromising anything, I’m still only 27, I got a lot of basketball left. I’m not rushing it.”

One of the top players in the NBA, Tatum appeared in 72 games for the Celtics last season. He averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks.

Tatum was the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Duke. He’s made six All-Star teams and five All-NBA teams with Boston. The talented small forward has career averages of 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks.

The Celtics won the 2024 NBA championship against the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Without Tatum, they lost to the Knicks in the second round of the 2025 playoffs in six games.

Most NBA pundits believe Boston will be a middle-of-the-pack team in 2025-26. However, if Tatum comes back near the end of the season, the Celtics will have to be taken seriously.