Jayson Tatum Bio: Basketball Career, Son & Net Worth

There are no secrets to success. It results from preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. Jayson Tatum worked hard with all his heart to make his vision come true.  

His mother always dreamt of making her son a professional basketball player despite dealing with financial conditions. Jayson developed an interest in basketball while playing for Chaminade College Preparatory School and Duke University.

Today, Jayson stands tall as a professional basketball player playing for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also represented the American National team since 2019. 

Recently on December 22, 2022, Tatum and his team, the Celtics, were heavily booed after losing 117-112 to Indiana at TD Garden. 

After the loss, the NBA player said, “Man, I think we need to win and have fun together off the court. This is a close group. We just have a tough stretch. We got to get back on track.” More on this is in the section below. 

For more exciting details about the NBA player, please stick to the end of the article. But before moving further, please check out the facts table below.

Jayson Tatum | Quick Facts 

Jayson Tatum | Early Life And Family

On March 3, 1990, Jayson Tatum was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to parents Justin Tatum and Brandy Cole.

His father, Justin, was a sportsman who made it easy for Jayson to pursue a career in basketball. Justin is an American former college basketball player born on April 11, 1979. 

He also served as a gym teacher and a basketball coach at the Christians Brothers College (CBC) High School in St. Louis.

Similarly, Justin was the coach and athletics director at Soldan International Studies High School for six years.

Jayson is supremely close to his mother. Brandy Cole gave birth to Jayson when she and Justin were merely 19. Moreover, she raised Jayson as a single mother.

Cole chose not to drop out of college and had a baby in one hand while carrying a book in the other. She is a graduate of St. Louis University School of Law. She currently works as an attorney in St. Louis.

The retired NBA player Larry Hughes regards Jason Tatum as his godson. Larry Hughes was Justin’s high school and college teammate.

Justin has won an award for being the best basketball coach in the state. He was also indulged in college basketball. Similarly, he had few basketball projects even outside of the US. 

He attended Chaminade College Preparatory School in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Tatum averaged 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and was awarded the 2013 Metro Catholic Co-Player of the year. 

The NFL player has two younger half-siblings: Jaycob Tatum and Kayden Tatum, born from his father Justin Tatum’s previous relationships.

Jayson might not be the closest to his siblings, but he often posts their pictures on social media, acknowledging their victories.

Jayson Tatum | Age, Height, And Physical Appearances

As of 2024, the basketball player is 26 Years Old, born under the sun-sign Pisces.

Born and growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, he has American nationality and hails from an African-Americn ethnicity. However, the religion of Tatum is still unknown.

He has an ideal height of 203.2 m. With a regular balanced diet and physical exercise, Jayson weighs around 205.03 lbs.

When talking about his physical appearance, the young player has a Dark Brown pair of eyes with Black hair.

Unfortunately, Jayson’s body measurement and shoe size are unavailable. If found, the readers will be updated soon.

Jayson Tatum | Education And Basketball

High School Basketball Career

Jayson Tatum attended Chaminade College Preparatory School in Creve Coeur, Missouri.

First And Second year

He scored 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game on average during his first year. Further, he successfully promoted the Red Devils team to MCC and Missouri District 2 Crowns.

This action led him to be honored as the 2013 Metro Catholic Conference Co-player of the Year.

Similarly, Tatum secured 26.0 points and 11.0 rebounds on average during his sophomore year.

Junior year

Jayson Tatum scored 25.9 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game on average during his junior year. Further, he received Second-team Naismith Trophy All-American honors. 

Jayson joined the St. Louis Eagles Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit in 2015. He led the EYBL to score 26.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

Further, his team defeated Team CP3 74-73 in the Nike Peach Jam Championship’s semi-finals. Tatum contributed significantly to his team’s victory with 28 points and five rebounds in the last hour.

Tatum’s team faced a loss to the Georgia Stars on July 12. Nonetheless, Jayson Tatum scored 24 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks in a 104-107 loss in the Nike Peach Jam Championship Game.

While in junior year, Jayson Tatum made verbal commitments to Duke University, the University of Kentucky, and St. Louis University, where his parents studied.

Senior Year/Final Year

Jayson scored 29.6 points and 9.1 rebounds on average in his senior year at high school.

Tatum took Chaminade College Preparatory School to its second Missouri Class 5A state championship by posting six 40-points games.

Similarly, Tatum got selected for the 2016 McDonald’s All-American Game in January 2016. He was also picked to play in the all-star game at the United Center in Chicago on March 30, 2016.

He was recruited into the East Team, where the team had to go through a 114-107loss. Nevertheless, Tatum scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Jayson Tatum also played in the Jordan Brand Classic in April 2016. His team grabbed a 131-117 win against the West Team. Tatum solely scored 18 points and led them to victory. 

Tatum won several tournaments in his senior year. However, the most remarkable one has to be a 46-point game against Huntington Preparatory School at the Cancer Research Classic.

Correspondingly, he scored 40 points and 17 rebounds in a 76-57 win over Bentonville High School. He also pulled off the 2016 HoopHall Classic with 40 points against DeMatha Catholic High School.

Furthermore, Jayson Tatum was entitled to the 2016 Gatorade National Player of the Year. He was regarded as the best candidate in the 2016 class and a five-star recruit. 

College Basketball Career

Jayson Tatum attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Late 2016 And Early 2017

Jayson made his Duke Blue Devils Men’s Basketball debut against Maine on December 3, 2016, where he scored 10 points in the 94-55 victory. 

Similarly, he secured 22 points and eight rebounds in an 84-74 victory over Florida at the Jimmy V Classic on December 6, 2016.

Tatum also grabbed 18 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks in a 72-61 win over Elon on December 2, 2016.

Likewise, Jayson Tatum recorded 19 points in a 110-57 victory over Georgia Tech on January 4, 2017.

Tatum scored season-high 28 points and eight rebounds in a 65-55 victory against Virginia on February 15 of the same year.

With qualified players like Jayson Tatum, Duke defeated Clemson in the second round and Louisville in the quarterfinals as the fifth seed in the ACC Tournament.

Other Performances And Scores At Duke

Tatum scored 24 points defeating rival North Carolina on March 10. He tallied 19 points and eight rebounds in a 75-69 victory against Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

He played a significant role in earning the ACC Tournament Championship for the Blue Devils. His average scores in the tournament were 22 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.

The Duke defeated Troy University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. But they lost against South Carolina in the second round. However, Tatum gained 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on average.

Jayson Tatum played 29 games and grabbed an average score of 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in his freshman season at Duke.

Owing to his outstanding performances, he was recommended to the ACC All-Freshman team & a third-team All-ACC selection. 

In short, Jayson Tatum had a very empowering and victorious freshman season at Duke. Moreover, his freshman performance opened the door for him to go directly into the 2017 NBA Draft.

Jayson Tatum | Professional Career In Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics is a professional basketball team that competes for the NBA as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division.

Boston Celtics drafted Jayson as the #3 overall on June 22, 2017, even though he was not superiorly ranked like other candidates picked by Philadelphia.

The Boston Celtics basketball operations president, Danny Ainge, counted Jayson Tatum instead of signing top NBA players, contrary to their rivals Philadelphia 76ers. 

When Tatum Was NBA’s Newbie

Jayson Tatum gained a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds as the team’s starting power forward in his NBA debut. However, his team had to undergo a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tatum proved to the crowd how capable he was in his rookie season. He scored 18.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 2.0 assists in an average within 33 minutes of action at the 2017 NBA Summer League event in Utah.

Similarly, he gained 17.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0.8 blocks in an average of 32 minutes at Las Vegas in the three games he participated in.

Thereupon, Jayson was named to All-summer League Second Team alongside Bryn Forbes, Cheick Diallo, Wayne Selden Jr., and Kyle Kuzma. 

Tatum attained a season-high 24 points over the New York Knights on October 24, 2017. Henceforth, he was honored with Eastern Conference’s Rookie of The Month for the December 2017 title.

The Boston Celtics ended the season with 55-27, paving their path toward the 2018 NBA Playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

Tatum grabbed a double-double with 19 points and ten rebounds in Game 1 of the first-round series against the seventh seed, Milwaukee Bucks. 

He subsequently broke his playoff-high record twice. First, in Game 4 with 21 points, then in Game 6 with 22 points. Moreover, the Boston Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 with a 112-96 win. 

Records Made By Tatum In His Rookie Year

Jayson Tatum scored a career-high 28 points in a 117–101 victory against the third-seed Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the second-round series. 

This record established him as the first Boston Celtics rookie to score 25 or more points in a playoff game since Larry Bird during the 1980 NBA Playoffs. Both Tatum and Bird scored a point against the 76ers.

Furthermore, he scored 21 points in a Game 2 victory against the Boston Celtics.

Tatum was the youngest player to attain at least 20 points in four straight playoff games at 20 years and 68 days, even earlier than his idol, Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant scored the same number during the 1999 NBA Playoffs when he was 20 years and 272 days old. 

Moreover, he contributed to giving a Game 3 overtime win for Philadelphia to his team by scoring 24 points.

Then, Tatum stood up as the first Celtics rookie to score 20 points in five straight playoff games. Larry Bird held the previous record of 20 points in five straight playoff games.

He joined Kareem Abdul and Jabbar on the squad of rookies in playoff history to record ten games of 20 or more points scored during their first playoff runs.

Jayson Tatum was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team on May 22, 2018.

Tatum On The 2018-19 Season

Tatum secured 23 points, nine rebounds, and three assists in a 105–87 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2018-19 season opener of the Celtics.

Similarly, he grabbed 24 points and 14 rebounds in a 103–101 win over the New York Knicks on October 20. Jayson scored 24 points and six rebounds in a 101–95 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 25.

Tatum also defeated the Toronto Raptors, recording 21 points and seven rebounds in a 123–116 overtime win on November 16.

He succeeded with a 121-114 win, scoring 23 points and 10 rebounds against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 25.

Similarly, Jayson Tatum attained 25 points and seven rebounds in a 103–96 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Also, he defeated the Sacramento Kings on March 6 in a 120-126-win, scoring 24 points, three rebounds, and two assists.

Tatum On The 2019-20 Season

Jayson scored his career-high 39 points and 12 rebounds in a 119-93 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on December 22, 2019.

He again exceeded with a career-high score of 41 points in a 140-105 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on January 20, 2019.

Moreover, Tatum was named his career-first NBA All-Star on January 30. He was then selected as an Eastern Conference reserve.

The NFL player scored 39 points in 47 minutes on February 13. It was a 141-133 double-overtime victory of the Boston Celtics against the Los Angeles Clippers.

He again scored his career-high 41 points on February 22. However, the Boston Celtics faced a 114-112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Tatum On The 2020-21 Season

The NBA player signed a five-year contract on November 22, 2020, worth $195 million. He scored 30 points and seven rebounds in a 122-121 win against the Milwaukee Bucks. 

On January 3, 2021, he scored 24 points and career-high 12 assists and contributed to a 122-120 win against the Detroit Pistons. Jason’s performance won him an Eastern Conference reserve for the 2021 NBA All-Star. 

Tatum became the sixth person in Celtics history to score 50+ points in a playoff game. He set a record for the most points scored in three games with a total of 122 points. 

Tatum On The 2021-22 Season

The NBA player led the league in plus-minus for the first time in 5th season, establishing his name as the most valuable player in the NBA.

He scored 41 points and recorded seven rebounds and eight assists to help his team win their first game of the season. Tatum scored the highest 51 points in a 116-87 win over Washington Wizards. 

Jayson set the all-time NBA record with 100 turnovers in a single postseason. 

Tatum On The 2022-23 Season

Jayson bagged 49 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and made three-pointers against the Miami Heat on November 30, 2022. 

He set the record for the youngest player in NBA history to make 900 three-pointers by surpassing the record set by Bradley Beal at 25. 

Tatum also became the first player in NBA history to record 45+ points, 10+ rebounds and 8+ three-pointers made. 

The NFL player scored 31.6 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game, and 4.5 assists per game in October and November, which awarded him Eastern Conference Player of the Month. 

On December 22, Tatum and his team, the Celtics, were heavily booed after losing 117-112 to Indiana at TD Garden. 

The Celtics entered halftime down by 28 points, making it even harder to make a comeback against the Pacers. 

During the post-match conference, Jayson said, “Man, I think we need to win and have fun together off the court. This is a close group. We just have a tough stretch. We got to get back on track.”

However, Jayson scored a good game, scoring 41 points and 13-of-25 shooting despite the loss.  

Jayson Tatum | National Team Career

Tatum played for the National Basketball men’s team as well. He participated in the 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship and the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.

He contributed to Eurobasket.com’s victory as the All-World Championship U19 Second Team.

Similarly, he represented Team USA in the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit. He scored 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block at the summit in 16 minutes and 57 seconds.

His achievements for the United States are listed below: 

• One-time Olympian (2020); one-time Olympic medalist (1 gold)
• Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, gold

Jayson Tatum |  2022-2023 Career Stats

Jayson Tatum Son | Jayson Christopher Tatum Jr

Jayson Tatum is a wonderful father to his son Jayson Christopher Tatum Jr. Sources claim that Jayson’s ex-girlfriend and high school sweetheart Toriah Lachell is his baby’s mother.

She was pregnant with Tatum’s son while Tatum was busy building his basketball career in his rookie year at college.

Jayson Christopher Tatum Jr., popularly referred to as Deuce, was born on December 7, 2017.

Jayson might be unable to stay with his child every time owing to his hectic schedule. But he manages to get all the updates regarding his little boy via facetime or by having him on the basketball court.

Jayson Tatum | Girlfriends And Wife

The NBA player dated the volleyball player Samie Amos while at Duke. They were together happily until the news regarding Toriah Lachell’s pregnancy broke out. The couple broke up then.

Things didn’t work out between Toriah and Jayson even after Deuce’s birth. However, they have chosen not to distance themselves from raising their son.

Furthermore, the rumor that Jayson was dating the R&B singer Ella Mai broke out. They frequently flirted on Instagram, giving more foundation to the talks.

Jayson even attended Ella Mai’s Baltimore show on March 16, 2019. However, it is not evident if they are still together or if their tie is just a short fling.

Moreover, no precise detail about his current relationship is available.

Jayson Tatum | Tattoo

The NBA player is a tattoo fan and has inked several tattoos on his body.

Jayson also has a large tattoo on the back of his right calf. He has embedded ‘I JUST DIDN’T QUIT,’ which seems to be a tribute to the late Nipsey Hussle.

Similarly, he has massive tattoos on both of his thighs. He inked a figure demonstrating the nuclear explosion with the words ‘St. Louis ’till the world blows’ in his left thigh. The St. Louis native has immense love for his hometown.

Tatum inked a portrait of himself and his son on his right thigh. The tattoo shows Senior Tatum holding Junior Tatum with grace and love, which justifies his love for his son. 

The Celtics player has embedded the number ’98’ with a star in the background on the lower part of his left leg, representing Tatum’s birth year, 1998.

Further, he has embedded the words ‘GOD’S PLAN’ on his upper back. He has also included ‘Proverbs 3: 5-6’, a verse from the Bible, in the same tattoo, right below the big letters.

Jayson Tatum | Contract With The Boston Celtics

 Jayson signed a five-year/$163,000,300 contract with the Boston Celtics, including  $163,000,300 guaranteed and an annual average salary of $32,600,060.

Tatum earns a base salary of $30,351,780 while carrying a cap hit of $30,351,780 and a dead cap value of $30,351,780 in 2022. 

Celtics president Danny Ainge said they were happy with Jayson’s performance and wanted to keep him for a long time. 

Jayson Tatum | Endorsements

Tatum signed with the Jordan Brand on June 21, 2019. Further, he is associated with an endorsement deal with St. Louis’s pizza purveyor Imo’s, Jordan Brand, Gatorade, Subway, and NBA 2k. 

He also runs a charity called Jayson Tatum’s foundation, which sponsors 100 boys and girls who attend an all-expenses one-day paid summer Basketball Camp and Leadership event yearly. 

Jayson Tatum | Salary And Net worth

The NBA player receives an annual salary of $30,351,780 from the Celtics. He also generates enormous amounts of money from several endorsements and sponsorship deals.

As of 2024, the NBA player has a net worth of around $25 million.

In his podcast with Maverick Carter, Tatum revealed that he saves all the money received through the Celtics and lives his life on the money earned through endorsement deals.

Jayson Tatum | Social Media Presence

Tutum is active on several social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. His social media feed primarily highlights pictures and videos from his NBA games. 

Instagram: 5.4m followers

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Jayson Tatum🙏🏀 (@jaytatum0)

Twitter: 1.1m followers

Facebook: 932k followers

Besides, he regularly uploads family pictures with his son Jayson Christopher Tatum Jr.

Jayson Tatum | Popularity 

Tatum is a famous basketball sportsperson who currently plays for the Celtics. 

The graph shows his search history for 12 months. 

Jayson Tatum | Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What jersey number does Jayson wear?

Jayson wears a jersey number of 0.

What position does Jayson Tatum play?

Tatum plays for a small forward/power forward position.

How many years has Jayson Tatum been in the NBA? 

Jayson has been active in NBA since 2017-present.

What inspired Jayson Tatum to play basketball?

Jayson was inspired by Kobe Bryant, one of the American professional basketball players.