Celtics

What Jayson Tatum’s son shared with him that made Celtics star ‘teary-eyed’

"When I was younger I had so many dreams and goals and things I wanted to check off."

Jayson and Deuce Tatum have had plenty to celebrate over the last month. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)

July 10, 2024

Jayson Tatum’s son, Deuce, had good news to share with his father earlier this year.

During an appearance on “The Old Man & The Three” podcast, Tatum shared that he was at his mother’s house for his birthday in March when Deuce presented him with a gift.

It was news that the Celtics star was set to be featured on the cover of the “NBA 2k25” video game.

“He was like, ‘Daddy, happy birthday,’ and I opened it. And it was, you know, ‘Congrats, you’re on the cover of 2K, blah, blah, blah,’” Tatum said. “I actually got teary-eyed. I kind of cried a little. Just because I feel like I’m very blessed and fortunate that when I was younger I had so many dreams and goals and things I wanted to check off.

“I’m experiencing those things in real time. And I grew up at my mom’s house playing 2K with my best friend and my cousin, and dreaming about being in the game one day. And then being on the cover, for that moment to come true, I got a little emotional.”

Dreams do come true 🙏🏽 https://t.co/Bw4twgUKvY
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) July 10, 2024

Tatum, who helped lead the Celtics to their sought-after 18th championship last month, will also appear alongside WNBA star A’ja Wilson on the All-Star edition of “NBA 2k25,” while Vince Carter will grace the cover of the Hall of Fame edition of the popular video game.

It’s been a good couple of months for Tatum, who recently won his first NBA championship with the Celtics, received the largest contract in NBA history from Boston, and earned a spot on Team USA’s roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics along with being named 2K’s latest cover athlete.