Jayson Tatum sends Michael Jordan jersey flying; fans surface $315 million star’s Lakers photoshoot in response

Celtics star Jayson Tatum has been garnering widespread reactions for his recent actions regarding a 'North Carolina jersey.'

Jayson Tatum sends Michael Jordan jersey flying; fans surface $315 million star’s Lakers photoshoot in response

Jayson Tatum

Even the pros are experiencing March Madness this year. Some stunning upsets hurt office brackets throughout the world when the 2025 NCAA Tournament officially began on Thursday. Even though the Boston Celtics players are far removed from their collegiate struggles, their social media crew didn’t pardon them.

Boston’s social team sneaked collegiate rivals’ jerseys inside a shipment of merchandise that they told the players to sign in honor of the start of this season’s tournament. Jayson Tatum, a Duke alumnus, and six-time All-Star power forward, found a North Carolina jersey in his pile and promptly tossed it away. Duke and North Carolina are arch-rivals, hence Tatum’s decision comes from that point of view.

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Nah, I like North Carolina. They wear my shoes. But it’s tournament time so I gotta run with Duke. Still got love for them. Can’t sign [the jersey], but…

Jayson Tatum said

In addition, none of the players were aware of the sneak-attack strategy with the jersey or saw their teammates’ reactions because it looked like the social media team captured each of these situations separately. Jaylen Brown, a four-time All-Star Boston small forward who attended the University of California at Berkeley, also rejected a Stanford jersey that someone had sneaked into the collection.

While Tatum did this, some Celtics fans did not forget to troll him regarding the Los Angeles Lakers photoshoot he did back in 2021. One fan wrote on X, “Can’t sign a UNC jersey but did this.” However, Tatum did the photoshoot for his late idol, Kobe Bryant. He also explained that he ‘felt like a kid’ at that moment.

A star like Tatum wearing a Lakers jersey did upset Celtics fans at the moment. But after Tatum revealed the reason behind the photoshoot, the fans took it easy on him.

Jayson Tatum showed some ‘love’ towards his alma mater

Before March Madness, Jayson Tatum, a forward for the Boston Celtics, expressed some support for Duke, his alma institution. Tatum, who spent one season at Duke from 2016 to 2017, delivered pairs of his Jordan Brand shoes to every member of the Duke women’s basketball team before the tournament began. According to Blue Devils coach Kara Lawson, Tatum is her number one NBA player because he wins. She also revealed the gift to the team.

I admired him. He admires you guys too. He sent you some of his shoes.

Kara Lawson said

With a No. 2 seed, Duke is attempting to capture their first national title and is participating in March Madness for the third time in a row. On March 21, they will play No. 15 Lehigh in the 2025 NCAA Tournament for the first time.

They will then play the winner of Oregon-Vanderbilt if they win. In addition, the highly regarded men’s team, who are first, will play their opening match of the tournament on March 21st. They will play against Mount St. Mary’s, rated No. 16.

Former Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck reveals important conversation with Jayson Tatum

A front-office controversy is the last thing a fan could hope for with the postseason just a few days away. Wyc Grousbeck, whose family purchased the Boston Celtics in 2002, sold the team to lesser-known personality, Bill Chisholm for an astounding $6.1 billion, despite the danger involved. Before any drama could unfold, Grousbeck made things clear on NBC Sports, revealing a conversation with Celtics star Jayson Tatum in the process.

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They said we trust you. I mean Jayson Tatum literally looked at me and said, ‘I trust you Wyk. Got it.’ And I don’t you know I think and with good reason, hopefully that he trusts me, so everything’s good.

Wyc Grousbeck said

Throughout the discussion, Grousbeck emphasized over and again how Bill Chisholm was a true admirer of the franchise. Well, it’s a blessing to have a devoted fan as an owner. Steve Ballmer, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, is one example.

Additionally, Grousbeck is also not leaving the office so easily. Wyc will continue to serve as the franchise’s governor until 2027–2028 as part of the $6.1 billion agreement, making decisions while Chisholm owns the team.