Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum tore his right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The All-Star underwent surgery the next day and is expected to be out for at least nine months. 

Tatum underwent his surgery in New York and stayed in The Big Apple while his teammates went back to Boston and won Game 5. The Celtics and Knicks play Game 6 at MSG on Friday, with Boston needing to win again to keep its season alive. 

The 27-year-old Tatum met with his teammates on Thursday at the team hotel for the first time since his Achilles tear. Payton Pritchard, who won the Sixth Man of the Year Award this season, said it was great to see his "brother."

"We didn't talk about basketball at all. That stuff is bigger than basketball now," Pritchard said. "It's seeing how he is as a person, how he's dealing with stuff. The basketball side, we'll handle that. But just want to check in as a friend."

Boston is looking to become just the 14th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven series in the playoffs. It will be intriguing to see if the reigning champions can beat New York without Tatum. 

A six-time All-Star, Tatum helped Boston win the championship last year against the Dallas Mavericks in five games. The small forward has career averages of 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks in the regular season. 

Tatum averaged 28.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.8 blocks in the 2025 playoffs versus the Orlando Magic and Knicks. Boston beat Orlando in the first round in five games. 

The Celtics signed Tatum to a five-year, $314 million extension last summer.