Jayson Tatum Undergoes Surgery After Rupturing His Achilles Tendon

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Boston Celtics’ superstar Jayson Tatum officially bid his NBA Playoffs dreams goodbye after going under the knife to repair his ruptured right Achilles tendon injury.

Tatum sustained his season-ending injury on May 13, 2025, when the New York Knicks completed a 14-point comeback to move a win away from dethroning the reigning NBA champions in the ongoing Eastern Conference semifinals.

With 3:07 remaining in the pivotal Game 4 of the series, Tatum fell without any contact after attempting to dive for the loose ball. He then grimaced in pain while holding his right ankle, the worst sight to see for the Boston fans who flocked to New York.

Tatum failed to get up and held on to his ankle for a long duration and received help from the Celtics’ medical team. After a couple of minutes, the star small forward finally got up and headed to the locker room for evaluation.

Without their franchise player who was having a stellar Game 4 performance, Boston folded under the pressure and conceded another game to the Knicks with a 1-3 series deficit, 113-121.

Before exiting the game, Tatum was bound for another masterclass after already tallying 42 points built from an efficient 16/28 shooting from the field while also doing all the intangibles and energy plays for the Celtics.

He stuffed the stat sheets with eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, and two blocks, and could’ve recorded more if wasn’t for that season-ending injury in the fourth.

According to multiple reports, Tatum already underwent a successful surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon on May 14, 2025.

“Jayson Tatum today underwent successful surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon. No timetable is currently available for his return, but he is expected to make a full recovery. Further updates will be provided when appropriate,” the Celtics posted on their various social media pages.

Tatum is having a great playoff run with the ultimate goal of a second straight NBA championship title. Since their first-round series against the Orlando Magic, the 27-year-old stalwart has averaged 28.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game.

Now that Tatum won’t be donning the green and white in their elimination game against the Knicks today, the Celtics will have to rely on Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Payton Pritchard if they want to drag the series up to seven games.

Prayers up to you, JT! Come back stronger!