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BOSTON, MA – Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played April 26 – May 2, the NBA announced today. It is the third time this season – and the second time in the last month – that he has received the conference’s weekly award.
Tatum, 23, averaged an NBA-best 42.7 points on 54.4% shooting (59.1% 3-PT), 6.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists throughout the past week, which included home victories over Charlotte (4/28) and San Antonio (4/30), and a loss to Portland (5/2). He produced 30+ points, 5+ assists, and shot at least 50.0% from the field in each of his last three games, marking the longest such streak by a Celtics player since Larry Bird in 1987-88.
The fourth-year professional and two-time NBA All-Star scored a career-high 60 points on 20-of-37 shooting (5-7 3-PT, 15-17 FT) in an overtime win against the Spurs last Friday night, matching the Celtics franchise record for most points scored in a single game (Larry Bird - March 12, 1985 vs. ATL). It was Tatum’s second 50-point game in the month of April, making him the first Celtics player in franchise history to produce multiple 50-point games in a single season.
This is the fourth career Player of the Week honor for Tatum, who becomes the first Celtics player to earn the weekly award three times in a single season since Kevin Garnett in 2007-08.
In 58 games this season, Tatum is averaging career highs in points (26.5 ppg), rebounds (7.4 rpg), and assists (4.4 apg), while shooting 45.9% from the field and 39.3% from beyond the arc. He’s one of two NBA players producing at least 26.0 points, and 7.0 rebounds, while shooting at least 39.0% from three during the 2020-21 season.