Jayson Tatum spent his Tuesday appearing on one major media platform after another. He was on Today With Jenna & Friends, First Take with Stephen A. Smith, and NBA Today, among others.
The Boston Celtics superstar could be seen sporting the newest edition of his signature sneakers, the Tatum 4s. He also discussed Journavx, a non-opioid pain medication. It helped ease the pain when the six-time All-Star began weight-bearing movements for the first time after tearing his Achilles. Tatum is also a partner with the maker of the drug.
The four-time All-NBA First Team selection also reiterated multiple times that he has not ruled out playing next season. In fact, he even has a date on the calendar in mind.
Jayson Tatum on when he returns:
“I put a date on the calendar of when I will be 100% ready and able to play. Whenever that date is, it will be a home game in front of the fans at TD Garden. That is something that I have dreamed about.”
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— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) September 23, 2025
His return may require a bit more patience than the day he’s working toward. However, what Tatum said is definitive is that his first game back will be at TD Garden.
“I can’t put an exact date on when I will come back to play, but I 100 percent know my first game back will be in TD Garden in front of the best fans in the world,” Tatum told Ashley Nicole Moss of CBS Sports HQ.
When might Jayson Tatum return?
The 27-year-old star told ESPN’s Malika Andrews, “Right now, the period I’m in, it’s getting pretty much back to ramping up basketball workouts.” That includes participating in his first on-court activity on Monday. “It was a sigh of relief to be back on the court again,” Tatum told Andrews.
As for the next time Celtics fans and the basketball world get to see him in the lineup, his birthday is Mar. 3. Boston is off that day, then hosts the Charlotte Hornets on Mar. 4. That’s certainly an incentive for him to strive to return that evening. If not, there are seven more tilts at TD Garden that month.
Surgeon Dr. Martin O’Malley, who operated on Tatum less than 24 hours after the latter tore his Achilles, discussed the Celtics’ star’s progress and how impressive it is, with People Magazine.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a person’s calf look as strong as his. At six or eight weeks, he was doing double-heel rises. He worked his calf so hard that the side effect of loss of strength, I don’t think he’s going to have any.”
As Dr. Kevin Stone, a leading expert in Achilles tendon repair, told this author, his progression is as encouraging as it is important.
“We’ve learned over the last few years that very early motion and rehabilitation accelerate the healing. It doesn’t slow down the healing. It doesn’t damage the repair,” said Dr. Stone. “And so the sooner you have the injury, the sooner you have the repair. And then the sooner you start your recovery, physical therapy, in our hands, that’s the next day after injury and surgery, the faster you recover and the better you do.”
Dr. Stone also made it known that, with the advancements made in treating this injury, allowing athletes and people who don’t make their living playing sports to return to form after rehabbing, “There’s nothing about an Achilles rupture that should prevent him from coming back better than he was before.”
The first chance for Tatum to validate that in the public eye will come at TD Garden, accompanied by a raucous ovation from the fans who have been there every step of an NBA journey he is eager to write the next chapter in.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source hardwoodhoudini.com ’
