By Mallory Mattingly
Boston Celtics guard Jayson Tatum finally returned to the court nearly 10 months after he sustained a torn Achilles tendon in the NBA Playoffs.
“He’s asking me all the time, ‘Dad, are you ready yet? Are you playing today?'” Tatum told PEOPLE of his 8-year-old son, Deuce, who’s his dad’s biggest fan. “I was like, ‘Deuce, I promise, you’ll be the first person I know that I’ll tell when I know I’m coming back.'”
The athlete finally took the court again on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks.
“I might be emotional, but I’ll be excited,” he said of being back on the court for the first time. “I’ll be anxious. And I’ll just be proud of myself that I made it to that point. There’s been some long days over the last 42 weeks.”
Related: Celtics PG Finds Joy in Young Sons as He Recovers from Devastating Injury
Tatum missed his first six shots with his first step-back 3-point attempt airballing. After his first six attempts, he made the next five.
The guard finally found his flow and finished with a near triple-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
“Nights and days I dreamed about this moment,” he told the NBA after the game. “It’s been 42 1/2 weeks since I played in an NBA game. Just trying to catch up on the speed…but the game started slowing down.”
With Tatum back in the line-up, the Celtics’ hopes for another NBA Championship has a new spark.
“At the start of the last playoffs we felt we had a 3-, 4-, 5-year run with that team to try to win as many championships as we could,” Tatum said. “And then, after the injury, it was a lot of uncertainty for me. I didn’t know what was next. There was a lot of doubt that crept into my mind.”
He expressed his gratitude for the entire Celtics organization.
“I can’t commend the players and the coaching staff enough, how they attacked this season, competed and played together every single night,” Tatum said. “I don’t know if a team has been more fun to watch.”
Through it all, Tatum was grateful to finally be back on the floor after 42-weeks of rehab and recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.
“A surreal feeling,” the guard said before adding, “then it felt normal. I really was grateful. I had a real sense of gratitude to be back on the floor playing basketball…it was a really big win for me.”
The Celtics face the San Antonio Spurs tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET, where Tatum looks to increase his play as the NBA nears the playoffs.
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