As a father in the NBA, Jayson Tatum is speaking out.

The 29-year-old star of the Boston Celtics was a guest contributor for the NBA’s Starting 5 newsletter. In it, he discussed how he manages his professional athletic career with parenting his 5-and-a-half-year-old son, Jayson “Deuce” Christopher Jr.

“The best part about being his dad in season is the games,” Tatum said, describing the wonderful times he gets to spend with his son. We have truly connected over that.

Coming to the game, being in the Garden, and playing in the locker room are all things that he enjoys, as is watching me play. His father was pleased to relate the experience of watching his son grow up in the Garden, where they had spent so much time together, and how his personality blossomed over the years.

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Tatum admitted that it can be difficult for him to prioritize his job over his role as a father, since it sometimes causes him to miss his son’s 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day.

Missing his 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day could be a problem, though, because it depends on our itinerary. On his 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day, I haven’t been there on a few occasions. Additionally, he mentioned that due to their travel schedule, they are unable to attend every school event or basketball practice. It’s still tough to handle, even if this is my seventh season; you just don’t want to miss a thing. Their development is rapid.Whenever they are together, Tatum and Deuce make it a priority to begin their day together, regardless of whether basketball is in season or not.

“Now Deuce is in school, so there are days when I am waking up at 6:30 am to get up and get him dressed and ready for school, regardless of my responsibilities for the day because I know how important it is to him for me to take him to school,” said he.

“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.”

During Tatum’s months off, the two also go on several trips together. Vacations and trips back to St. Louis with Deuce are best enjoyed during the off-season. In the offseason, we may indulge his favorite pastime—going to the beach and swimming all day—by taking a vacation from the country.

“It’s a great feeling, as a parent, knowing that I can help provide the things for my son and show him the world in a way that I didn’t get to as a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥,” said Tatum. In addition to hosting him at my basketball camps, back-to-school giveaways, and foundation golf event, I will also be bringing him back home. I think it’s great that he’s already involved in community service, even at such a young age.

Tatum welcomed his kid Deuce, who is now a huge star with the Celtics and other NBA players, when he was just 19 years old. Toriah Lachell and Tatum’s son Deuce are siblings.

Last year, at a press conference, the NBA star discussed his strong relationship with his kid and his position as an example for other fathers.

Even though I was pregnant with Deuce when I was drafted in 2017, the year he was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 was 2017—the most momentous year of my life, wasn’t it? “I just had a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, and I’m starting this new chapter in my career,” Tatum revealed.

“My mindset was not to sacrifice either, that I was going to be the best father as I could as well as the best basketball player,” said he. “There wasn’t a manual or a set procedure. Everything revolved around the nature.

“I simply fоllоw my instincts. Every dаy, I аm in his presence. I feel like we’re grоwing up tоgether, gоing thrоugh this trip tоgether—I wаs 19 when I wаs drаfted, yоu knоw?” Tаtum went оn tо sаy. “аs he’s grоwn оlder, I’ve been аble tо cаrry оn with my jоb, аnd we’ve hаd mаny mоments аnd experiences аlоng the wаy. Persоnаlly, I find it tо be the mоst exciting аspect.