The future of the Celtics changed in an instant last May.
Superstar Jayson Tatum was in the midst of a career-best playoff game against the Knicks in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs when he shockingly went down with a torn Achilles tendon. Tatum was visibly distraught as he was wheeled off the floor; it was later reported he had an emotional conversation with his father in the locker room afterwards in which he asked, "Why me?"
The All-NBA star underwent surgery almost immediately. Boston went on to lose to New York in six games and wound up trading multiple starters over the offseason. While Tatum's status for the upcoming season is technically still up in the air there is very little expectation he'll return to the floor anytime soon.
On Tuesday, about a month before the Celtics' new season tips off, Tatum shared more detail about how deeply the injury impacted him emotionally in the immediate aftermath of the situation. He told People that he cried for "two hours" after getting hurt and was left wondering if everything he had earned was gone.
"I literally sat there and cried for two hours 'cause so many things ran through my mind: 'Damn, is my career over? Am I going to get traded? Are all my partners going to drop me?'" Tatum said. My basketball career flashed in front of my eyes," he says. "I’m in my prime, one of the best basketball players in the world, and it felt like it was all taken away."
It's a gut-wrenching admission even months after the fact. It is easy to forget these professional athletes are human at the end of the day and something as tragic as a severe injury has an impact beyond their availability to play. That clearly was what Tatum felt most in the moment.
The 27-year-old superstar will continue rehab for a while yet. The Celtics will just have to do without him in the meantime.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Celtics Superstar Jayson Tatum Reveals He Cried for Hours After Tearing Achilles.