ROXBURY, Mass. — The crowd’s anticipation grew by the minute.
“Where’s my king?” one lanky 8th grader belted.
“The GOAT is coming!” yelled his equally enthralled friend.
A sea of kids hurled one-liners at one another as they eagerly anticipated the arrival of Jayson Tatum. For hours, hundreds of Celtics fans flooded the bleachers of a makeshift basketball court outside of a Footlocker just steps away from Dudley Square.
And, while they waited, fans of all ages partook in dance battles and karaoke, all while ooh-ing and aah-ing each and every time a car drove by that could possibly carry the six-time All-Star.
Then, as the sun began to set, Tatum arrived, donning a red St. Louis baseball cap as he sauntered onto the parquet, his mother, Brandy Cole, beside him.
Tatum, who traveled with the Celtics for both preseason games despite being sidelined, was in Roxbury to celebrate the launch of his new Jordan Brand sneakers, which were released on Friday when the Celtics superstar was in Toronto with the team.
So, less than a day after touching down in Boston, Tatum spent the afternoon with Celtics fans in Roxbury. His Tatum 4 campaign slogan — Never Be The Same: Same Was Never The Goal — overlooked the basketball court.
In a panel conversation moderated by reporter Greydy Diaz, Tatum reflected on the release of his fourth shoe, which comes in colorways that represent both St. Louis and Boston.
“This means the world,” he said. “It’s hard to believe that I’ve been here for nine years. I was always prideful about where I was from in St. Louis, and now I’ve grown to have that same pride about being in Boston.”
“I really love my time here. I’ve loved spending really my adulthood in Boston. The best fans, the unconditional support and love. It’s really special being here.”
Inside the Tatum 4 sneakers
The Tatum 4s — the fourth edition of Tatum’s Jordan Brand sneaker line — comes in a red St. Louis colorway and with the names of each of Tatum’s young sons, Deuce and Dylan, engraved on the inside flap of each shoe.
And, on the back of each sneaker is a silver ‘0’ pendant representing Tatum’s jersey number.
Tatum explained that the design process began 18 months ago, and noted that his Tatum 4s are currently the lightest shoes in the entire Jordan line. The red colorway — which hit shelves on Oct. 11th — represents Tatum’s hometown of St. Louis, while the ‘Green Glow’ colorway — coming out on Oct. 23rd — draws inspiration from Boston and the Celtics.
Those are intentional design decisions, he explained: “If somebody had to tell the story of Jayson Tatum, you couldn’t tell it without St Louis and Boston.”
Sitting beside Tatum, Brandy Cole reflected on how long he has envisioned and manifested a signature shoe.
“Ever since he was three, he started making a list of all the things that he wanted to accomplish, things he wanted to check off his list — and the signature shoe was always on there,” Cole said. “So, getting to watch him put in the work in the process, and enjoy the process, and really put his stamp on all the shoes — it’s wonderful.”
On release day, Tatum surprised fans at a store in Toronto, where the Celtics played were for a preseason game. But, the following day, he got to celebrate the shoe in front of fans in Boston, an experience that felt especially meaningful given the star’s growing connection to the city.
“The expectations here are different,” Tatum said of the city of Boston. Whether it’s a preseason game, league pass game, or whether it’s the Finals, every game is sold out. The fans here truly appreciate good basketball, and they respect what we do. It’s a privilege to go out there and put that uniform on and compete — not only for yourself, but for the people that came before you, and for all the fans in Boston.”
Tatum reflects on what’s next post-injury
In May, Tatum ruptured his Achilles tendon in a playoff game against the New York Knicks, immediately ending his season and threatening his availability for the entirety of the upcoming one.
He’s been transparent about how difficult those first few days were — “I remember telling my mom, ‘I might be done,” he told People Magazine.
But in recent weeks, he’s shared his progress, first showcasing his improved mobility on the court on his YouTube channel, and most recently, sharing a video of a recent dunk on X.
“This moment kind of allowed myself to be honest and vulnerable,” Tatum said. “A lot of times, people will see their favorite athlete and see them as superheroes. And a lot of times, we do amazing things, but we’re human, and we go through real-life situations. And I think this is me being honest about what I’m going through.”
Tatum knows the Achilles injury — and subsequent recovery — is now a major part of his story. In his first 8 seasons with the Celtics, he earned six All-Star appearances and four First Team All-NBA appearances, while leading the Celtics to five Eastern Conference Finals, two Finals, and one championship.
“The first eight years were unbelievable, amazing, accomplished some incredible things,” he said. “I think now is just — not a turning point, but just a different stage in my life. And, accepting that what happened to me, it did happen, and not necessarily letting it define you in a negative way. It’s just an opportunity to show people what you’re going through, and let people know that I won’t be the same — I’m gonna come back and be better.”
The journey to come back better began in May. Tatum had surgery to repair the torn Achilles the morning after the injury in New York City, and subsequently moved back into his mom’s house.
Then, he spent all summer at the Auerbach Center.
Last month, Tatum told numerous media outlets that he hasn’t ruled out a return this season — and that he’s circled a date on the calendar that he hopes to be cleared by in order to make his TD Garden return: “I haven’t said I’m not playing this season… I don’t go to rehab 6 days a week for nothing.”
Since Media Day, Celtics players have gushed about the star’s commitment to his rehab, and at the shoe launch, his mother recalled how quickly Tatum got right back to work.
“By day three, he was going to the facility every day and putting in five, six hours’ worth of work and coming back,” Cole said. “And I just tried to be as supportive as possible and encourage him, and just remind him who he is, who he’s destined to be, and that this is just part of the process. It doesn’t define him. And like he said, that he’ll be back and better than ever.”
Whether Tatum laces up this season remains to be seen. It’s evident that it remains a short-term goal.
But the Celtics star made clear that he’s working toward bringing another banner to Boston, regardless of when that is.
And, when asked to name a favorite moment from his Boston tenure, he broke into a grin.
“It’s not even a question,” Tatum said. “I have two kids. I got drafted. The best day of my life was the parade. The best day of my life.“
“And I promise we’re going to do it again.”
