Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum has been diagnosed with a torn right Achilles tendon and underwent surgery on Tuesday, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. An MRI revealed the severity of the injury, which effectively ends the Celtics’ title hopes and puts Tatum out for a vast majority, if not all, of the 2025-26 season.
The team revealed Tuesday afternoon that Tatum is expected to make a full recovery from his surgery. There is currently no timetable for his eventual return.
Tatum suffered the injury in Monday night’s 121-113 Game 4 loss in Madison Square Garden late in the fourth quarter. With 3:07 remaining in the game and the Knicks leading by seven points, Tatum made a bad pass and the ball bounced out to him and Knicks defender OG Anunoby.
After planting his right leg, Tatum swiftly changed direction and lunged for the ball. In doing so, his right leg collapsed under him and the Celtics star was in immediate pain. After writhing on the ground in anguish, Tatum was helped up and carried to the locker room, not putting any weight on his right leg.
Camera footage going to the visitor’s locker room in Madison Square Garden showed Tatum being wheeled off in a wheelchair screaming in pain and frustration.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla did not provide much of an update on Tatum’s health after Monday’s loss, stating that it’s “tough” watching him leave the game the way he did.
“He’s the type of guy that gets right up. So, he didn’t and we’ll know tomorrow exactly what it is,” Mazzulla said in his postgame press conference. “It’s tough watching a guy like him get carried off like that.”
Boston’s locker room was filled with shock and fear after the game, as Celtics reporter Noa Dalzell described it as “silent.” Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford both made it known they were thinking of their injured teammate, and Jaylen Brown was left speechless at the podium.
“Tonight is tough. I think everybody is at a loss for words,” Brown said with some long pauses in between.
“There’s really not a lot to say.”
Tatum, 27, is coming off yet another stellar season where he will earn All-NBA status and finish top five in the MVP voting. In 72 games, he averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the floor and 34.3 percent from 3-point range.
After recently turning 27 years old in March, Tatum is set to make $54.1 million in the first year of a five-year, $313 million contract extension he signed last offseason during the 2025-26 season. He is under contract with the Celtics through the 2029-30 season, possessing a $71.4 million player option for that year.
Tatum is the face of the Celtics franchise. His contributions and leadership are why Boston went on to win the 2024 NBA Finals and why they entered this year’s playoffs with the mindset of claiming back-to-back championships.
Without him, the Celtics now face the likelihood of losing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals now that they’re down 3-1 to the Knicks, which would snap a three-year streak of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.
And, looking ahead to the future, Boston has some difficult decisions to make about the roster now that Tatum’s 2025-26 season is shot.
More must-reads: