Jayson Tatum shares birthday snaps of 7-year-old son Deuce Tatum
Jayson Tatum has celebrated some milestones in 2024, from his first NBA title to his second Olympic gold, the list goes on. Now, he's celebrating his son's seventh birthday.
The Celtics forward took to social media to share a snapshot of Deuce's birthday on Friday. Tatum, the doting dad, evidently spared no expense in putting a smile on his son's face.
The image shows Deuce perched on a table surrounded by boxes of toys. There's also a pancake garnished with chocolate chips forming the number seven, as well as a balloon resembling the titular alien in the Disney film "Lilo and Stitch."
Deuce and Jayson Tatum bonding over basketball
Unsurprisingly, one of those boxes appears to contain a mini basketball hoop. In all likelihood, Jayson Tatum wants his son to get plenty of shooting reps from an early age.
With a father like Tatum, one of the most iconic players in the NBA this decade, Deuce was bound to have a unique insight into the sport from an early age. Since the elder Tatum began his career in 2017, snapshots and video clips have captured Deuce's immersion in NBA culture.
Deuce has become such a fixture in his father's career that he has attracted an A-list of friends and admirers in the basketball world. Among the younger Tatum's well-wishers was WNBA star A'ja Wilson, who delivered a simple yet heartfelt greeting via her Instagram stories.
"Happy Birthday Cool Kid."
Deuce spent time with Wilson at the 2024 Paris Olympics, when both Wilson and Tatum helped lead their respective teams to a gold medal finish.
Jayson Tatum has published a book this year too, titled "Baby-Dunks-a-Lot." Tatum was aided by Deuce in picking the illustrations, as he told NBA.com in November:
"Who better to ask than a six-year-old on which illustrations pop and stand out to him?"
Tatum described his favorite scene from the book:
"My favorite scene is when the baby makes all his teammates take a nap with him during the game. I thought that was pretty funny because most NBA players do take naps on game days to get their minds and bodies right for the game."
Will next summer see another occasion for the Tatums to celebrate? The 2025 NBA Finals are far off in the distance, but for now, Tatum is content with seeing his son's reaction to an extra special gift.