Jayson Tatum‘s summer keeps getting better. After leading the Boston Celtics to their first NBA title in 16 years and signing a record-breaking $314 million contract extension just after that, the superstar forward now has been announced as the cover athlete for NBA 2K25 alongside WNBA sensation A’ja Wilson. The duo were guests on the latest episode of The Old Man and the Three podcast, where they revealed how they learned they were chosen to grace the game’s cover.
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Tatum revealed that he found out about the news on his birthday, which is on March 3. The Celtics star’s six-year-old son Deuce surprised his father with a gift bag that 2K had sent to his mother’s house and told him that he’d be the cover athlete of NBA 2K25.
The 26-year-old forward said that the unexpected experience made him emotional,
“I actually like got teary-eyed. 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 so many things that I wanted to check off, and it’s like I’m experiencing those things in real-time.”
“I grew up at my mom’s house playing 2K with my best friends and cousins and dreaming about being in the game one day and being on the cover,” Tatum added.
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JT has already had an unforgettable year. However, it’s seemingly set to get even better.
The 26-year-old is heading to the Paris Olympics with one of the most stacked Team USA rosters ever, aiming to add a second gold medal to his stellar trophy collection. Tatum was part of the team that went to Tokyo in 2021 and won gold for the nation. He’s looking to help Team USA win the event for the fifth time running and avenge their humiliating loss at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Tatum is also allegedly set to become a father again. The superstar forward’s long-time girlfriend, English R&B singer-songwriter Ella Mai, was spotted with a baby bump at the Celtics’ title celebration following their Game 5 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Mai has been absent from the public eye for a few months and neither the artist nor Tatum have confirmed the rumors about her pregnancy.
