Jayson Tatum’s postseason is over.
And now the long road to recovery begins.
The Boston Celtics superstar underwent a successful surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon suffered in Monday night’s Game 4 loss to the Knicks, the team announced.
The team provided no timetable, but he is expected to make a full recovery.
Tatum suffered the non-contact injury as he went for a loose ball with just over three minutes remaining in the Knicks’ 121-113 victory at Madison Square Garden.
The injury left Tatum writhing in pain, and he was ultimately helped off of the court at the 2:58 mark of the fourth quarter without putting any weight on his right leg.
“It’s tough to watch a guy like him get carried off like that,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said.
Tatum was later seen in the Garden tunnel in a wheelchair, with his face buried in his hands.
“Tonight is tough,” teammate Jaylen Brown said after the game. “I think everybody’s at a loss for words.”
The injury brought a sudden end to a 42-point performance by Tatum, who shot 16-of-28 from the field, including 7-of-16 from 3-point range.
The severity of the situation quickly became evident as players from both teams watched in disbelief.
Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson began his postgame press conference by offering prayers for Tatum.
“I’ve been in a situation like that with my calf [before] so I just walked up, respectful of his space, and just prayed to my mother, prayed to God, to put protection over him, comfort,” said Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns.
“Whatever he needs to go through, I hope it’s a quick, painless process. I’m hoping we can see him back here soon, with the superstar talent he is, playing at the highest level.”
A six-time All-Star in eight NBA seasons, Tatum helped lead the Celtics to his first NBA championship — and the franchise’s 18th — last year.
Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and a career-high 6.0 assists per game during the 2024-25 regular season.
He then led the Celtics with 28.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.1 steals and 40.3 minutes per game this postseason, despite suffering a wrist injury in the first round that forced him to miss Game 2 against the Orlando Magic.
Tatum’s absence creates an even bigger challenge for the Celtics, who fell behind 3-1 in the best-of-seven second-round series with Monday’s loss.
Brown, their second-leading scorer, is averaging 21.9 points per game, followed by Derrick White’s 18.3.
“Obviously, we all felt for him in that moment,” Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis said. “But we just have to keep going. We have to keep playing, and obviously we all realize in our heads what this could mean.”
Originally Published: May 13, 2025 at 4:57 PM EDT
