Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics averaged 26.8 points in only 16 games ‌last season after injuring his Achilles tendon, but his own dad was still against the Celtics winning a title, resulting in an altercation with LaVar Ball.

The confrontation took place during an episode of “Ultimate Dads Unplugged”, where Justin Tatum participated in a discussion about the upcoming season along with LaVar Ball, Dwyane Wade Sr., and Quenton Brown Sr. LaVar Ball challenged Justin Tatum on the show after the latter chose another team to win the championship.

“I’ll slap the hell out of you. If you don’t say the team your son is on, you gotta be crazy,” Ball said.

Father of Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum, Justin Tatum, had started off his discussion on the program by naming the defending champions rather than supporting the team of his own son. “I might say New York might run it back,” said Tatum’s father during his discussion on the show.

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Justin Tatum had just named the New York Knicks over his son’s team, the Boston Celtics, which Ball saw as an act of disloyalty rather than an objective view of basketball.

Tatum’s father didn’t back off even when Ball fought back. “Right now? Roster? Shit,” said the father, referring to Boston’s squad, which caused his skepticism about the new season.

This worry about the roster is justified because the team has been remodeled completely. Boston traded Jaylen Brown, who had averaged 28.7 points per game last season, to the Philadelphia 76ers on July 1, 2026, and got Paul George and four future draft picks in return.

This trade came after a disappointing end to their 2025-26 season. The Celtics had a good regular season record with a 56-26 record; however, Boston lost a 3-4 series to the 76ers in the first round.

Jayson Tatum was out for the first 62 games of the season due to a torn Achilles injury until he returned in March. Jayson again aggravated his left leg and missed Game 7 of their series against Philadelphia, which Boston president Brad Stevens explained later on.

“It’s not like a long-term concern, but it certainly didn’t look right when he was working out and didn’t feel right,” Stevens stated, per MassLive, about why the team decided to take caution rather than playing Tatum.

The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in June 2026, with Jalen Brunson scoring 45 points in the final game, putting an end to New York’s 53-year title drought.

The Celtics are a contender after the changes, with ESPN predicting 48 wins for the season. However, for Jayson Tatum to lead the offense without Brown, his father’s doubt about the current squad holds some statistical merit for the upcoming 2026-2027 season.