All-Star Weekend

Taylor Snow

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All-Star Weekend is a package deal for the Tatum family.

You don’t get Jayson Sr. without Jayson Jr. – aka “Deuce.”

The father-son duo has become an ASW fixture over the past five years, dating all the way back to Jayson’s first season when he brought two-month-old Deuce out to Los Angeles and competed in the Rising Stars Challenge.

The following year in Charlotte, Jayson participated in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge. After winning the event, he hoisted his trophy in one arm and his son in the other.

In his third season, Jayson was selected to his first All-Star Game, and Deuce was there in Chicago to support him.

Jayson returned as a All-Star starter last year in Indianapolis and will be starting again Sunday night in Cleveland, where his son will be with him once again.

It’s not unusual for NBA stars to bring their children along to experience the weekend’s festivities, but having Deuce by his side since the beginning makes Jayson’s situation unique.

Jayson and Deuce were both born into a new stage of their lives at roughly the same time – Jayson into the NBA on Oct. 17, 2017, and Deuce into the world on Dec. 7, 2017.

One’s rookie year in the league coincided with the other’s rookie year on Earth, and they have been developing side-by-side ever since.

“I think that’s the plus of having a kid at 19: we’re growing up together,” Tatum said Saturday afternoon during a pre-All-Star Game press conference in Cleveland. “I think it’s cool that he’s going to be able to see me as my career goes and, as he’s getting older now, to remember certain things and interact and things like that.”

In some ways, Deuce has become just as big of a star as his father. The four-year-old attends most Celtics home games, where he sits courtside with his grandmother, shining in the spotlight. After games, opposing players often want to meet the endearing toddler and grab a photo with him. And at All-Star weekend, Deuce gets to play around with some of the greatest hoopers of all time.

The amount of attention Deuce gets is something that Jayson says he “definitely did not expect.”

“But it’s cool and he enjoys it. Every time he comes to a home game, people cheer when they see him and scream his name. And when he comes to the games on the road and here at All-Star, he has his own personality.”

Although Deuce may not be at an age where he can fully grasp the game of basketball or understand how great of a player his father is, he’ll eventually see how great of a role model Jayson is trying to be for him.

“Every time he comes to the game, he sees how I give it my all, doing everything I can in my power to help us win,” Jayson said. “Because as he gets older, in team sports, that’s what’s most important is winning, and everything else besides that will follow.”

For now, wins and losses don’t matter to Deuce. He spends a good chunk of Celtics games zoned into the marvels of his iPad undeterred, even when Celtics fans are rising to their feet around him, cheering on Jayson as he knocks down clutch baskets.

Though, there are certain instances that will pull the youngster away from his virtual adventures, such as during a recent Celtics-Nuggets matchup when Jayson took a hard fall a few feet away from Deuce after running at full force into Nikola Jokic. A concerned Deuce rose to his feet to make sure his dad was OK (he was fine), and he may have given the 7-foot reigning MVP a menacing glare.

Don’t tell Jayson, but Deuce’s favorite part of the game is probably when it’s over. That’s when he gets to scamper onto the court and jump into his dad’s arms, sharing a comforting embrace that overrides the emotions of whatever result just occurred on the court.

Jayson and Deuce cherish those moments more and more as they grow older. And even though All-Star Weekend is often a time for players to get away and take a break, it’s a time for the father-son duo to grow closer in their bond.

The Tatum Tandem has been a package deal at All-Star Weekend since Jayson’s rookie year in the league and Deuce’s rookie year in the world, and they will carry that tradition on for as long as possible.

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All-Star Weekend a Cherished Tradition for the Tatum Tandem

CHARLOTTE – Tallying 30 points and nine rebounds during Friday night’s Rising Stars Challenge wasn’t enough to satisfy Jayson Tatum at All-Star Weekend in Charlotte. The Celtics wing was keen on returning to Boston with some hardware.

At Saturday night’s Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Tatum got his wish. And it couldn’t have been earned in a more dramatic fashion.

After making his way through the first two rounds of the event, Tatum lined up on the baseline at Spectrum Center to face off against Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young in the Finals. Tatum fell behind his opponent as the pair made their way through the first three stages of the obstacle course, which consisted of dribbling around five stationary defenders, delivering a chest pass through a sideways hoop located on one of the baselines, and then dribbling to the other end of the court for a lay-up.

After they both made the lay-up, the pair turned around and headed back toward the other basket for the final stage – the 3-point shot. Young, however, made it to the edge of the arc before Tatum even made it to half-court. So, Tatum made the split-second decision to toss up a Hail Mary prayer.

The 20-year-old Celtics sophomore watched as the ball sailed through the air, thudded off the backboard and swished through the net, knocking Young’s only attempt off target in the process.

Raising his hands toward the ceiling, Tatum let the thunderous cheers rain down upon him at Spectrum Center as he became first Skills Challenge winner in Celtics franchise history.

“I definitely tried to win,” Tatum said with a smile as he sat behind his freshly polished gold trophy at a podium inside the Hornets’ home arena. “I didn't want to go out there and be too cool. I wanted to leave All-Star with something, just give myself a chance to win.”

Tatum couldn’t have taken a more challenging road to capture the event, as he won all three rounds in comeback fashion.

In the first round, he was randomly matched up against Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley. Both weaved their way through the stationary defenders, but Conley earned an edge by making his first chest pass, while it took Tatum two tries. Both players easily made their layups, though Conley made it to the 3-point line first. However, the veteran point guard missed his first three attempts, while Tatum missed just once before swishing his way into the semifinals.

Next, Tatum faced off against Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. This round was a near mirror image of the previous round for Tatum, who once again took two attempts to make the chest pass, while his competition made it on the first try. Jokic made it to the 3-point line first, just like Conley did, but clanked his first attempt off the rim. That gave Tatum just enough time to catch up and deliver a trey on his first attempt, sending him on to the finals.

For the last, and most important round, Tatum went in with a different mindset: If he fell behind the elite sharpshooter Young as he had in the first couple of rounds, he would heave up a prayer.

“The previous two rounds, the guy was ahead of me and I figured I'd let him (Conley and Jokic) get a shot attempt so I could get closer to the three-point line,” Tatum explained. “I didn't want to give Trae a chance. I honestly didn't know I was going to hit the shot, but I had to give myself a chance, throw it up there, and it worked out for the best.”

By taking that chance, Tatum was able to meet his goal by earning a trophy at All-Star Weekend, allowing him to head back to Boston with a smile on his face.

“It's been a great weekend, a lot better than last year,” said Tatum, whose rookie All-Star experience consisted solely of a 15-point performance in the Rising Stars Challenge. “I played well yesterday. We won, so that was good. We lost last year. And I got an opportunity to participate in Saturday Night this year, which I didn't last year. I get to leave with some hardware, so it was a successful weekend.”

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Tatum Captures Skills Challenge Trophy via Half-Court Heave

CHARLOTTE – Kyrie Irving looked like a seasoned coach Friday night, as he paced the sidelines and shouted out advice at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, where he was serving as the honorary coach of Team USA in the Rising Stars Challenge.

The TNT broadcast took note of his active tutelage and told him when he came on the air early in the fourth quarter that he was giving off “Red Auerbach vibes.”

“Do I? Am I missing the cigar?” Irving joked, playing along with the announcers’ observation. “The legendary cigar, that’s all I’m missing.”

It was clear that Irving was enjoying his role, as he helped guide Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum and Team USA to a 161-144 win over Team World. He admitted the next morning that a future in coaching had not previously been on his radar, but after having the opportunity to spread his basketball wisdom to the next generation of stars, he says it’s now something that he may consider pursuing if the opportunity presents itself down the road.

“Being around the game is something that’s very unique for everybody who has the chance to do it, especially if you have those relationships in the league and they want to keep you around,” Irving explained Saturday morning during an All-Star media session at Bojangles Colosseum. "They want to have your knowledge be imparted on the next generation, so if that opportunity approaches down the line, if I have to go get my college degree to be an NBA head coach, I would do it.”

Irving got to show off his coaching skills on the air, as TNT mic’d him up for the early portion of the fourth quarter for a brief interview. At one point, one of the announcers requested Irving to demonstrate his teaching ability, so Irving complied by barking out orders over the next 55 seconds of game action, during which Team USA went on an explosive, 11-2 run.

“Hey JT, would you get up the court? Get up the court!” he playfully barked at Tatum, who had been jogging lightly up the court with the ball. “I got to talk to JT like that to try and get him going.”

Tatum was Irving’s primary target for many of the orders he dealt out, as he Irving implored the 20-year-old Celtics wing to play some defense in the high-scoring affair.

“It was awesome,” Irving said of coaching his younger teammate. “I was trying to get him MVP.”

Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma ended up winning the award behind a 35-point performance, but Tatum was not far behind, as he produced 30 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

“It was fun to be around those young guys,” Irving said of his experience with the whole group. “Those guys are the future of our league, so I’m excited to be kind of in this in-between stage of my career where I get to see them develop as young players, getting extensions, making multiple All-Star games, striving for their individual goals, but also how they grow as far as their team environments.”

Irving also had the opportunity to try on his coaching shoes Friday morning, when he served as an instructor at the Special Olympics Unified Basketball Game. Partaking in that event only strengthened his appreciation for the field of coaching.

“The game can be understood by a lot of different people,” said Irving, who will slide back into a playing role Sunday night as a starter for Team LeBron in the All-Star Game. “To see those gracious, great individuals be able to understand the game of basketball and really go out and play their hearts out, it was nothing short of amazing. Basketball has a way of speaking a language to everybody.”

Perhaps Irving will continue speaking that language to future generations of basketball players after his NBA playing career is over. He has many avenues that he could potentially explore after he hangs up the kicks, and coaching could certainly be one of them.

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Rising Stars May Have Produced a Rising Coach in Irving

CHARLOTTE – Jayson Tatum looked every bit the part of a rising star Friday night, as he helped lead Team USA to a 161-144 win over Team World in the Rising Stars Challenge at Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

The sophomore Celtics wing poured in 30 points, corralled a game-high nine rebounds, dished out three assists and snagged two steals, all during 26 minutes of turnover-free action in the tip-off event of All-Star Weekend.

Tatum doubled his scoring outpour from last year’s performance when he tallied 15 points in the same number of minutes as a rookie. This time around, he looked like a complete natural in a scoring role for Team USA, finishing just five points shy of Jaylen Brown’s franchise event-record of 35 points that was established last February.

“Last year I was a little nervous, but this year I wasn’t nervous at all,” explained Tatum, who knocked down 12-of-24 from the field, including 6-of-14 from long distance. “I knew what to expect.”

It sure looked like it, as Tatum started off on a high note, grabbing the opening tip-off and scoring the first bucket just eight seconds into the game.

The 20-year-old was held scoreless from that point until midway through the second frame, but from there he went on an absolute tear.

Tatum erupted for 14 points during the final 5:04 before halftime, which included four of his game-high-tying six 3-point makes. Three of those triples came within a 58-second span, as Team USA sensed his surge and kept feeding him the ball.

“I was just out there having some fun, getting some shots up,” Tatum later recalled of that particular stretch. “I saw one go through, so I shot it again.”

Tatum’s scorching finish to the second quarter allowed Team USA to head into halftime with an 83-71 lead.

Following the break, Tatum kept his fire going by showing off his wide variety of scoring skills. His first bucket of the third frame was a cutting, rim-rattling dunk, which was followed immediately by another trey. He then closed out the quarter by teaming up with Sacramento Kings guard D’Aaron Fox for an alley-oop jam, which Fox delivered to Tatum on a pass high off the glass.

Tatum dropped three more buckets during the fourth quarter – a driving layup, a mid-range fadeaway to beat the shot clock buzzer, and a 3-pointer with 35.7 seconds remaining in the game. The latter basket, he says, was the highlight of his night, as he caught the ball while standing wide-open in the left corner, took two dribbles, wiped the sweat off his shooting hand and did a little shimmy, before drilling the shot and bending down to high-five a young fan on the sideline.

Tatum concluded the night just five points shy of the game’s Most Valuable Player, Kyle Kuzma, though Tatum finished with three more rebounds, one more assist and two more steals than the Lakers forward.

While he fell just short of earning MVP honors, it was still a thrilling experience for Tatum. Part of the excitement included getting the opportunity to play under the tutelage of Celtics teammate Kyrie Irving, who served as Team USA’s honorary coach two nights before taking the big stage as the starting point guard for Team LeBron in the All-Star Game.

Irving played the part well, as he paced the sidelines during the entire game, not sitting down once, all while barking out advice and dishing praise to his young peers.

“First game coaching in the NBA, he got a win,” Tatum said when asked to review Irving’s coaching performance. "So, not too bad.”

It wasn’t too bad of a night for Tatum either, as he showed off his potential to the world, proving that he truly is rising toward NBA stardom.

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Tatum Soars Even Farther in 2nd Rising Stars Challenge

CHARLOTTE – Jayson Tatum won’t be the only Celtic participating in Friday night’s NBA Rising Stars Challenge in Charlotte. Joining the 20-year-old wing on the sideline at Spectrum Center will be his coach.

No, not coach Brad Stevens. Coach Kyrie Irving.

Irving was selected as the honorary coach of Team USA, giving his understudy extra reason to look forward to the tip-off event of All-Star Weekend.

“I’m going to tell him how much time I’m playing and when I come out… if I come out,” Tatum joked Friday morning ahead of Rising Stars practice at Bojangles Coliseum.

Though, in all seriousness, Tatum believes that Irving is the perfect player to fill the role of an honorary coach. As an avid scout of high-school talent during his free time, Irving knows the tendencies of these young stars as well as any other player in the NBA.

“He’s a smart basketball player,” Tatum said of Irving, who will also represent Boston as the starting point guard for Team LeBron in Sunday’s All-Star Game. “He knows how to play basketball. He watches the game. So, he knows how to put the right guys out there.”

From a personal standpoint, Tatum has learned a great deal from Irving during his first year and a half in the league. The young star is constantly picking Irving’s brain, attaining wisdom from his elder teammate on a daily basis.

“The biggest thing I’ve picked up from Kyrie is probably just watching how he conducts himself,” Tatum said. “How he comes into work every day and continues to be one of the best players in the league for a reason. And it’s not by accident, he works at it, and he’s super committed.”

As for Friday night, Tatum will be committed to putting on a show alongside his fellow rising stars.

It will mark Tatum’s second straight year participating in the event, having put forth a 15-point, four-rebound, two-assist, two-steal, one-block effort last February at All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. This time around, however, Tatum notes that he feels much more poised and comfortable on the big stage compared to when he was a rookie.

“The first year I was just super excited, super nervous,” Tatum explained. “I was still star struck seeing all the other guys in the league. And now, this year, I’m a lot more relaxed and calm.”

Playing relaxed and calm also reflects how Tatum has looked throughout his sophomore season. He enters the All-Star break as Boston’s second-leading scorer, averging 16.5 points per game, while also contributing career-bests of 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Those stellar numbers are what ultimately led the young stud to earn another appearance in the Rising Stars showcase. On top of that, Tatum will also appear in Saturday night’s Taco Bell Skills challenge, where he will dribble, pass and shoot his way through an obstacle course, while competing against some of the most talented players in the league.

Above all, Tatum just wants to make sure he takes in the experience and enjoys the unique, All-Star atmosphere.

“I look at this weekend to have fun,” Tatum said. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s about being surrounded by the other good players in the league and just having a great time.”

Having Irving on the sideline as his coach and cheerleader Friday night should make the experience all the more enjoyable for the Celtics’ rising star.

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Tatum Thrilled to Play for Coach Kyrie in Rising Stars Challenge

Boston Celtics

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Photos: Isaiah Thomas Skills Challenge at All-Star 2017

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Photos: 2017 All-Star Weekend

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Isaiah Thomas had been anticipating this weekend for his entire life, and now he can say his first All-Star Game experience is officially in the books.

The Celtics guard tallied nine points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal during 19 minutes of play Sunday night, as his Eastern Conference squad fell to West, 196-173.

Thomas shot 4-of-11 from the field, including 1-of-5 from beyond the arc in the historically high-scoring contest.

“I wish I could’ve hit a couple more shots,” Thomas later reflected, “but it was fun out there.”

The fun began when No. 4 first checked in (fittingly) at the 4:44 mark of the first quarter.  He admitted that he was a bit nervous when he initially entered the game, and it showed early on.

Thomas front-rimmed a 3-ball on his first touch of the contest, then shortly thereafter went in for a layup, but lost the handle and glanced it off the base of the rim.

The guard quickly shook those nerves off, however, as he cracked the scoring column at the 2:13 mark of the first frame when he drove past Chris Paul from the left elbow for an easy lay-in. That was his only bucket of the first half, though the little guy tallied all three of his team’s offensive rebounds during the opening quarter.

Thomas was subbed out at the start of the second quarter and did not see action again until the 2:24 mark of the third. It only took him nine seconds to make his presence known, as he quickly picked off an errant pass by Paul, jogged upcourt to the 3-point line and canned a trey.

Thomas’ shining moment came on his final basket, which came late in the fourth quarter.

After Thomas had wedged a 3-point attempt between the rim and the backboard, he and reigning NBA MVP Steph Curry were called out to center court for a jump ball. The Celtics guard opted not to leap for the toss, and instead sprinted straight past Curry, who had tipped the ball backward in Kobe Bryant’s direction in the backcourt. But Thomas, in a full sprint at that point, aggressively slithered past the Black Mamba, snagged the loose ball, and took it to the basket for a swooping, acrobatic, left-handed layup.

It was the highlight moment of the night for Thomas, who grew up idolizing Bryant and was humbled to be a part of his final All-Star experience.

“He’s the greatest player of my generation,” said Thomas. “Somebody that I’ve looked up to, and we probably won’t see another Kobe Bryant ever again, so it’s such an honor to be able to share a court with him.”

Thomas went on to add that the All-Star Game experience in its entirety was “everything I dreamed of,” despite not making the offensive impact he would have hoped for.

“It was good just to be out on the court with those other guys and experience Kobe’s last All-Star Game,” said Thomas. “For me and my family to go through this weekend was great. Hopefully I can have more weekends like this.”

As long as Thomas continues to lead the C's at an elite level in the future, he should have no problem achieving that goal.

All‑Star Weekend