John Jones-Imagn Images

NBA Star Issues Apology After Jayson Tatum's Injury

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated Mar 25, 2025 4:06 AM ET

The Boston Celtics suffered a potential blow to their hopes of repeating as NBA champions when star forward Jayson Tatum suffered an ankle injury on Monday in a win over the Sacramento Kings.

He sustained the injury when he hit a 3-pointer and landed on the foot of Kings center Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis was assessed a flagrant 1 foul for getting into Tatum's landing space, while Tatum writhed in pain and frustration on the ground.

The six-time All-Star had to be helped off the court. Without him, the Celtics still cruised to a 113-95 victory and improved their record to 53-19.

There is a feeling, especially among Celtics fans, that Sabonis had deliberately stuck out his foot in order to injure Tatum. But he gave a mea culpa afterward.

"I feel horrible," Sabonis said, per Brenden Nunes on X. "I've had a crazy month myself, personally, and you never want that to happen. So, I apologize."

Domantas Sabonis on the Jayson Tatum injury: "I feel horrible. I've had a crazy month myself, personally, and you never want that to happen. So, I apologize."
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) March 25, 2025

This was bad timing for Boston since it just got Jaylen Brown, its other standout forward, back from a knee ailment that had sidelined him for the previous three games.

Tatum came into Monday averaging 27.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists a game this season. While Boston is firmly in second place in the Eastern Conference and has an eight-game cushion over the third-place New York Knicks, not having Tatum for a significant stretch will hamper its efforts to truly get ready for the playoffs.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: