"He gonna be a stretch 4" - Jayson Tatum gives Kiyan Anthony the NBA player comparison for his 6-year-old son Deuce
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is renowned for being one of the most dedicated fathers in the league, consistently putting his son Deuce in the spotlight whenever possible.
In a conversation with Kiyan Anthony, the son of retired NBA legend Carmelo Anthony, Jayson Tatum disclosed that he already has a player comparison for his six-year-old son, who was born six months after Tatum was drafted into the NBA in 2017.
“He like a stretch…He gonna be a stretch 4,” Tatum told Anthony.
“He gonna be like a smaller Porzingis.”
Deuce has shown his basketball skills several times as he often warms up with his dad during pregame shootarounds.
Jayson Tatum and Deuce shared an iconic moment when the Celtics won the NBA title with a 106-88 victory over the Mavericks in Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals. As confetti rained down at TD Garden in Boston, NBA photographer Nat Butler captured the Celtics star carrying his son.
Since his birth in 2017, Deuce Tatum has been a constant presence with the Celtics, frequently appearing with his dad during press conferences and other significant NBA events. He advocates for fans to vote for Celtics players for the All-Star Games and even awarded his dad the All-Star ring for the 2022 game.
Jayson Tatum talks about being a dad to Deuce
As a professional athlete, Jayson Tatum takes great pleasure in knowing that his son enjoys basketball as much as he does.
“The best part about being his dad in season is the games,” he said (per NBA). “That’s something we have really bonded over. He loves watching me play, coming to the game and being in the Garden, running around in the back and playing in the locker room.”
“Just seeing him develop over the years, his personality grows, especially in the Garden, has been amazing to see because we have grown up there together.”
Despite his busy schedule, Tatum emphasized the importance of finding time to spend with his son.
“Being a dad is the most important thing to me, so no matter what my schedule is, I will always find time to spend with him and some of my favorite memories come from our car rides,” he said.
Deuce, whose real name is Jayson Tatum Jr., was born in December 2017 to his dad's ex-girlfriend Toriah Lachell.
Jayson and Toriah had been in a relationship since high school, and they discovered they were expecting shortly before Tatum, who was then a student at Duke University, was drafted by the NBA.