![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2264598315-scaled-e1772844297422.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Celtics star Jayson Tatum soaks in pregame cheers from the Boston crowd ahead of his season debut .<\/p>\n
BOSTON (AP) \u2014\u00a0Boston Celtics\u00a0star Jayson Tatum\u2019s belated birthday present to himself will be a return to the game that was abruptly taken away from him last season.<\/p>\n
Coach Joe Mazzulla said Tatum will start the Celtics\u2019 home matchup with the Dallas Mavericks on Friday (LIVE, ESPN<\/a>), marking his season debut\u00a0almost 10 months after having surgery to repair a\u00a0ruptured right Achilles tendon.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a long journey. And the culmination of a new journey begins today,\u201d Mazzulla said during his pregame news conference.<\/p>\n Tatum was listed as questionable for the game Thursday, before being upgraded to available<\/a> Friday afternoon. It marked the first time this season he hadn\u2019t been listed as out after rehabilitation for the injury he suffered<\/a> during Game 4 of Boston\u2019s Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the New York Knicks last May.<\/p>\n Tatum, who turned 28 this week, previously indicated his return to the court would be for a home game. That time has arrived.<\/p>\n \u201cLess anxious than I thought I would be.\u201d<\/p>\n Jayson Tatum takes the floor for warmups ahead of his season debut!<\/p>\n DAL\/BOS, 7pm\/et, ESPN \ud83c\udf7f pic.twitter.com\/ACpLI1IWcf<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) March 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been having constant conversations, where you want to get to, how you\u2019re going to get there and what goes into that,\u201d Mazzulla said of the process Tatum took to get ready to play. \u201cReally from Day 1 it\u2019s just been a constant conversation. Throughout the process you\u2019ve just trusted this journey. I give him credit. We always knew he was coming back this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Tatum\u2019s return will be on the same night that Mavericks No. 1 pick and Maine native Cooper Flagg will play his first NBA game at TD Garden.<\/p>\n But the night will almost certainly belong to Tatum, who arrived at the Garden with seats covered by white and green Celtics T-shirts featuring his name and No. 0 on the back.<\/p>\n The Celtics (41-21) have 20 games remaining in the regular season, including 11 at TD Garden. Boston is currently in second place in the East standings.<\/p>\n The typical rehabilitation window to return to basketball action following Achilles tendon surgery is between nine and 12 months.<\/p>\n Tatum, who had surgery on May 13, will make his return to the court after 298 days.<\/p>\n He\u2019s been clear since the start of his rehab process that his intention was to try to return to the court as the same player who was a catalyst during Boston\u2019s 2024 NBA championship run and who has earned five All-NBA and eight All-Star selections during his previous eight seasons.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t come back to be no role player, Doc,\u201d Tatum said weeks after the surgery to his physician during a checkup that was\u00a0chronicled<\/a>\u00a0in the recently released\u00a0documentary<\/a>\u00a0\u201cThe Quiet Work,\u201d which followed his rehab process.<\/p>\n Celtics forward Sam Hauser said Tatum\u2019s drive to return to action has been evident throughout the season, from his daily workouts to traveling with the team on road trips while not missing a beat in his rehab process.<\/p>\n \u201cIt speaks volumes to how much he loves the game of basketball. He has been out roughly 10 months and him willing to come back on every single trip,\u201d Hauser told reporters following the Celtics\u2019 shootaround Friday morning. \u201cHe wants to be part of this.\u201d<\/p>\n When Tatum went down with his injury last season, his thoughts quickly pivoted away from the devastation he felt for himself and what would soon be the end of his team\u2019s bid to repeat as NBA champions.<\/p>\n Making progress \ud83d\udcaa pic.twitter.com\/TMLjpl2FZv<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n He made the decision quickly to begin the process of turning the page and opted to have surgery the very next day.<\/p>\n The typical rehabilitation window to return to basketball action following Achilles tendon surgery is between 9 and 12 months.<\/p>\n If he indeed plays on Friday, the 28-year-old Tatum, who had surgery on May 13, will make his return to the court after 298 days.<\/p>\n