Jayson Tatum Achilles tendon injury was just bad luck, says Boston Celtics star

TL;DR

Jayson Tatum's Achilles tendon injury was deemed a fluke, not a result of his gameplay. He expressed frustration over the unpredictability of such injuries despite maintaining a rigorous training regimen.

Key points

Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles tendon injury.
The injury was described as a fluke by Tatum.
He missed most of the 2025-26 NBA regular season.
Tatum maintained a rigorous training and treatment regimen.
Medical professionals stated his tendon appeared healthy before the injury.

Jayson TatumBoston Celtics

It is bad enough for anyone to have to work their way back from a serious mishap on the court like an Achilles tendon injury. But for Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, finding out that what had happened to him was less due to how he played the game (or how often) and more to do with the St. Louis native just having an incredibly unlucky moment is a lot to take in. Tatum opened up about how the injury that kept him out of the majority of the 2025-26 NBA regular season was something of a fluke in a recent interview with TODAY's "Glass Half Full" show. "Trust me, I’ve asked a thousand people a hundred different questions about how to prevent it, why does it happen?" said the Duke alum. "And every specialist I’ve talked to would say they’d be lying if they could tell you exactly why it happens," he continued.

May 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) is helped off the court by after an injury in the second half during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Tatum would leave the game with an injury after this play. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images "I remember the very next day, I got my MRI, and I asked the doctor, 'If I got an MRI the day before, would you have been able to tell me that I was at risk?'," said Tatum. "And he was like, 'Honestly, you might not want to hear this, but your tendon looks perfectly healthy. It was just an unlucky moment.'" "And that was tough to hear, because ... I was doing everything right. I was taking care of my body. I was getting treatment. I was doing all my strength work every game day. I was on top of it. So for him to say, 'Your tendon looked perfectly healthy. You just got unlucky,' that was a tough pill to swallow." Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Blue Wire: iTunes: YouTube: *This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: *

Q&A

What caused Jayson Tatum's Achilles tendon injury?

Jayson Tatum's Achilles tendon injury was attributed to an unlucky moment rather than any specific action or overuse during gameplay.

How long will Jayson Tatum be out due to his injury?

Jayson Tatum missed the majority of the 2025-26 NBA regular season due to his Achilles tendon injury.

What did Jayson Tatum say about his injury recovery process?

Tatum mentioned that he was doing everything right in terms of body care and treatment, but the injury was still unexpected and deemed unlucky by medical professionals.