“I Missed Jayson Tatum’s First Ever Crawl”: Brandy Cole, Tatum’s Mother, On Celtics Star’s Tough Upbringing

Jayson Tatum is currently known as one of the best players in the world today as he leads to Boston Celtics to a 40-16 record in the Eastern Conference. He’s done everything from sign a supermax extension to become a Jordan Brand athlete ever since entering the less than 6 years ago, establishing himself across the league as a well-respected superstar. 

However, with all of the fame and glory that Tatum has experienced, it’s easy to forget about the journey that led up to this point for the Duke alum. He’s had to face a lot of hardships over the course of his life and much of it stemmed from a challenging childhood. 

His mother, Brandy Cole, had him when she was still a teenager and she would give up a volleyball scholarship to take care of Jayson while his father would enroll at St. Louis University to play basketball. She would have to take up a litany of jobs to keep herself and her son afloat and would eventually find a 2 bedroom apartment.

Also read: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Set New Scoring Record As Celtics Blow Brooklyn Nets Out 139-86

Brandy Cole on missing major milestones for Jayson Tatum 

Jayson Tatum and Brandy Cole moved out of the latter’s mother’s house into their apartment when Jayson was merely 6 months old. With her taking care of him on her own for the most part, she would miss out on a ton of things in her son’s life due to her work schedule. 

In one emotional instance she described, she would miss her son’s first crawl because of her schedule. “I remember one day my mom called and told Jayson crawled for the first time. I just broke down and cried,” said Brandy to ESPN.

They would go through a lot more during J’s childhood, including foreclosure on their home. Tatum, as an 11 year old, understood what was happening and wanted to help but couldn’t do much. Despite it all, Brandy was there to support her son’s basketball dream. 

Jayson Tatum and his father had a strained relationship 

Jayson Tatum, as he was coming up as a basketball player on his own, would look for validation from his father, Justin. “I could score 40 and he would never clap. He would just sit there. He would leave, like, I wouldn’t see him after the game. I would go to the gym thinking if I score 50, then maybe that would be good enough.” 

Jayson had a chance to get coached by his father when he would get a coaching gig at Christian Brothers College High School. However, he wouldn’t take his father up on this offer and instead stay at Chaminade Prep. This might’ve been the reason regarding their strained relationship.

Also read: Jayson Tatum Passes Shaquille O’Neal On a Scoring Chart In the Win Against The Detroit Pistons