The NBA community rallied around Jayson Tatum on Monday night after the Boston Celtics superstar suffered a heartbreaking injury late in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks.
Tatum collapsed to the floor during the final minutes of the game, clutching his lower left leg in visible pain. Unable to stand or walk, he was helped off the court and later wheeled back to the locker room in tears—a scene that quickly went viral on social media and prompted an outpouring of support from fans, fellow athletes, and celebrities.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James took to X (formerly Twitter), sharing prayer hand emojis and referring to Tatum as “Big Deuce”—a nod to Tatum’s son, Deuce.
“🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 Big Deuce,” James posted.
Others in the NBA fraternity quickly followed. Charlotte Hornets forward and former Celtic Grant Williams wrote, “Prayers for 0! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Too many have gone down this year.” Former Boston guard Isaiah Thomas and Pelicans star Dejounte Murray also sent their thoughts, with Thomas simply tweeting, “🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 Tatum,” and Murray writing, “JT 🙏🏼🖤 @jaytatum0.”
From the analyst desk, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins, Skip Bayless, and Jay Williams expressed their concern. Bayless, reflecting on Tatum’s outstanding 42-point performance, called the injury “so unfair.” Williams, like many fans, feared a serious injury: “I just pray it’s not an Achilles injury for Tatum. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾.”
Support also came from beyond the NBA. NFL star and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tweeted, “Prayers up man….. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼,” while actor and Knicks superfan Ben Stiller wrote, “Sending all good thoughts and positive vibes to the great @jaytatum0.”
Before the injury, Tatum had delivered one of his finest playoff performances, scoring 42 points along with eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals. He shot 16-for-28 from the field, including 7-for-16 from beyond the arc, in 40 minutes of action.
Coach Mazzulla Reacts: “Tough to Watch”
After the Celtics’ 121-113 loss, head coach Joe Mazzulla addressed the injury in his postgame press conference, confirming it was a non-contact injury to Tatum’s lower body. He said further clarity would come after an MRI scheduled for Tuesday.
“He’s the type of guy that gets right up,” Mazzulla said. “So, he didn’t, and we’ll know tomorrow exactly what it is. But it’s tough to watch a guy like him get carried off like that.”
The Celtics now find themselves in a precarious position. Down 3-1 in the series and facing elimination, Boston will return home for Game 5 at TD Garden on Wednesday with their championship hopes hanging in the balance.