NBA draft night is designed to celebrate the moment a young player’s lifelong dream becomes reality. But behind the cameras and carefully packaged family stories, years of sacrifice can disappear in a matter of minutes. That tension has resurfaced around Celtics star Jayson Tatum. His father, Justin Tatum, is questioning how the NBA portrayed their family during the 2017 draft, bringing an overlooked part of Tatum’s journey back into focus.

“I’ve seen the one that started with the draft. We know what it took for us to get our kids there and if stuff like that’s gonna break me, then I don’t need to be around,” he said, speaking on the Ultimate Dads Unplugged podcast.

Jayson Tatum’s mother, Brandy Cole, was interviewed that night. But even though Justin sat beside her, he was not. Justin admitted that the moment hurt, but he refused to let it define his relationship with his son.

“It’s messed up,” he said. “But I know my son, how much he cares and loves me, and he knows what we’ve been through. As long as that matters, I’m good.” 

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For Justin, that shared history carries more weight than a television segment ever could.

The context behind those comments runs much deeper than one missed interview. Jayson Tatum grew up primarily with his mother after his parents separated, but Justin remained a significant presence in his development as a basketball player. Justin coached him at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis. 

That’s where he adopted an approach that prioritized toughness over comfort.

Jayson Tatum previously described how demanding that relationship became. “He was extremely tough on me,” JT recalled, explaining that his father would cuss him out, embarrass him, and even throw the ball at him because he wanted him to become mentally stronger. That intensity became part of Jayson Tatum’s competitive identity.

Justin coached him, challenged him, and deliberately placed him in uncomfortable situations. By the time Tatum arrived at the 2017 NBA Draft, however, the television narrative naturally centered on the mother-son relationship that audiences could see in front of the cameras. Justin believes he lost something important right there.

His complaint centers not on Brandy Cole’s attention, but on his own exclusion. LaVar Ball, sitting on the same podcast, added another layer to Justin Tatum’s frustration. Responding to the discussion, Ball argued that the distance between superstar athletes and their parents is an isolated situation.

“If you look at any of these superstars, who has been given? From D. Rose, not talking to his parents, to Kobe not being able to talk to his parents. So, you’re gonna go through that. That’s why I had to. There’s nothing we can just dodge.”

The draft night footage may have overlooked Justin Tatum, but it cannot erase his place in Jayson Tatum’s development. As the Celtics star continues to build his legacy, his father appears comfortable letting the public narrative take whatever shape it wants.