This past season, Jayson Tatum played on the hardwood with a lot of vengeance. The snub from the NBA finals accolade for the 2024 championship was still fresh. Adding more motivation was the treatment from Steve Kerr during the Olympics in Paris. During the regular season, he scored 26.8 points, fifth in the league, and in the playoffs, he shot 28.1 points. So, he was never afraid to step up as the critics grew louder. But did he actually walk away from critics last season?

The Knicks reached their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000. 25 years ago, Spike Lee was supporting, and even today, he is. Thousands and thousands of dollars in ticket prizes didn’t shake his support; after all, he is a superfan. His appearances were not limited to playoff games; it was back in February against the Celtics where he was seated and was sitting alongside another legend, Denzel Washington. Lee recalled an incident from that game on the Young Man and Three podcast.

“Oh, I got a crazy story. So against the Celtics this game, Denzel was at the game. So there’s a foul call, but the ref didn’t call it. They just said out of bounds. So Jayson is still talking to the ref, and Denzel said, “Yo, Tatum, I’m the only actor here.” The ref was laughing. Jason left. I was dying.” Lee and Washington attended the game on February 8, 2025, at Madison Square Garden, and that’s where the incident took place, claims the director of Malcom X.

Being Knicks supporters, they were truly giving JT a hard time.”You (Tyrese Haliburton) gotta ask Jayson that. That was hilarious, man. Denzel said, “Yo, Tatum, I’m the only actor here.” The ref, we all were dying laughing.” It was a classic celebrity jab, delivered perfectly. The public call-out was just enough to light a fire under the superstar, prompting him to leave that spot quickly to respond with his game.

Moreover, engaging with the fans on the court would have proved nothing for Jayson Tatum, so he continued with his game. Despite this incident, he was able to focus well and ended with 40 points and made seven of his 14 3-point attempts. In fact, the Boston Celtics superstar even gave credit to Washington and his presence, which motivated him to play this well.

The home crowd support at the Garden proved futile as it was the away team who were convincing with their 131-104 victory over the Knicks. Speaking about his performance, Jayson Tatum said, “We lost last game, and then finding out that KP was out right before the game…And then I saw Denzel Washington sitting courtside, and I was excited about that.”

Despite the heckling from Washington, the 6x All-Star appreciated the crowd at MSG, especially the celebrities. “They’ve got all the celebrities. But, they also have an edge about them. They know basketball, they’re passionate, they’re chanting and cheering the whole time, so it is a special place to play.”

However, all the momentum for the 27-year-old came to a screeching halt when he suffered the injury on May 12, 2025, during the second-round series.

Jayson Tatum is not escaping reality with his injury

Surgery was performed hours later. Reports suggest a possible full-season absence to ensure complete healing. However, there have been positive signs as the Celtics forward showed progress with pool workouts in July and discarding the walking boot in August. This is all possible due to his immense dedication.

Scott Zolak and Marc Bertrand, the co-hosts of 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak & Bertrand radio show, went out to dinner on Wednesday night with Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. That’s when JT’s injury came up, and the entire organization seems happy about the recovery. “The Celtics are very happy with how hard Jayson Tatum has been working at his rehab, and his level of focus and intensity in the rehab process,” Bertrand said.

“He did not go away for any extended period of time, because he wanted to be back to work on his rehab. He’s doing things that nobody asked him to do.” Leading by example, Jayson Tatum wants to send good vibes in their otherwise indifferent offseason. The team traded away core pieces like Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis to cut costs. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White remain anchors. Payton Pritchard steps up after his Sixth Man of the Year award. Will this be enough to contend without JT? Only time will tell.