Emotional Moment: Jayson Tatum Overwhelmed by NBA 2K25 Cover Announcement From Son
On June 17, 2024, during Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the TD Garden, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics celebrated an unforgettable victory against the Dallas Mavericks. This week, Tatum shared another significant personal milestone—learning he would be one of the cover athletes for NBA 2K25.
Speaking on The Old Man & The Three podcast, Jayson Tatum revealed that the news was delivered on his birthday, March 3, by his son Deuce. The moment was particularly emotional for Tatum:
“I actually got like teary-eyed,” Tatum said. “I kind of cried a little bit. Just because I feel like I’m very blessed and fortunate that when I was younger I had so many dreams and goals and things I wanted to check off. I’m experiencing those things in real-time. And I grew up at my mom’s house playing 2K with my best friend and my cousin, and dreaming about being in the game one day. And then being on the cover, for that moment to come true, I got a little emotional. I kind of cried a little bit. I was just so emotional, overwhelmed and happy that something I dreamed about came true.”
It was announced Wednesday by 2K that Tatum, WNBA star A’ja Wilson, and Hall of Famer Vince Carter will be featured on various NBA 2K25 covers. Tatum will grace the standard edition, while he and Wilson will share the All-Star edition cover:
Much like he did during the interview, Jayson Tatum expressed on X that being on the cover of an NBA 2K game was a dream come true:
A Milestone Year for Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum, 26, is coming off a stellar 2023-24 NBA season, where he won his first NBA championship. The former Duke standout was also named an All-Star for the fifth consecutive season and finished sixth in the NBA MVP voting, with impressive stats of 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 3.1 three-pointers made, and 1.0 steals per game.
Now, Tatum has the chance to add even more to his impressive list of accolades as he heads to Paris this month to represent the United States in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Tatum was part of the gold-medal-winning Team USA at the 2020 Summer Games and has the opportunity to secure another gold this year to complement his NBA championship and his distinction as an NBA 2K25 cover athlete.
