Celtics' Jayson Tatum Reveals Emotional Reaction to Needing Surgery for Achilles Injury on Video

The physical pain of a serious injury is only one half of the equation for athletes, and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum experienced that firsthand last May when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon.

In a new video on his YouTube channel, Tatum recounted the mental toll of having to have surgery.

"I kinda broke down... I just couldn't help but think, 'Am I ever gonna play again?'" he said (2:30 mark).

Tatum suffered the injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks. The doctor explained to Tatum that the sooner he had the surgery, the better, but that was, of course, a difficult fact to deal with moments after such a devastating injury.

Tatum said that after having the conversation with his doctor the following day, he said he could do the surgery that day.

"It just kind of felt like my soul left my body, and I just put my head down," Tatum said.

His mother, Brandy Cole, gave more insight to Tatum's reaction.

"His face, he's turning white. Jayson was like, 'I'm not doing that.' He's like, 'I didn't wake up this morning thinking I was gonna have surgery,'" she said. "And so everybody's just kind of looking around, and he's like, 'Nah, I'm not.' And so I just asked everyone to leave the room."

Tatum ultimately went through with the surgery just a day after suffering the injury and began his road to recovery.

He seemingly progressed well in rehab, as he reportedly started playing five-on-five scrimmage at full speed last week. The question now is whether Tatum will suit up before the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

Many expected the Celtics to have a bit of a transitional year without Tatum on the court. If that were the case, Tatum would likely just wait it out and focus on not rushing the process.

But the fact that Boston is in second place in the East might change his timeline. Thanks to MVP-caliber play from Jaylen Brown, the Celtics look like legitimate contenders, and adding Tatum back to the mix would likely make them a favorite to make it out of the East.