Jayson Tatum has the game of a seasoned veteran and looks like potential NBA superstar. He’s also a 20-year-old kid who (in at least one aspect) acts exactly like a 20-year-old kid.
The Boston Celtics forward has a close relationship with his mother, Brandy Cole, who was just 19 years old when Tatum was born and raised him on her own in St. Louis. In an interview with GQ published Thursday, Tatum revealed he still sees his mom on a regular basis — because she lives just three floors above her son in the same Boston apartment complex.
Not only that, but Tatum apparently relies on his mom heavily for, well, mom things.
“I spend most of my time up there in their apartment, ’cause there’s always food up there,” Tatum told GQ. “I don’t have anything to eat in my house but chips and Gatorade. And when I’m gone or away for a long time, she’ll do my laundry or clean up the house. If I come back from a road trip and we get back, like, three in the morning, she’ll cook and leave a plate in my refrigerator.”
Basically, Tatum is living the life of a college kid who’s back home for the summer. Except he’s not an undergrad — he’s the No. 3 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft who finished third in the 2018 NBA Rookie of the Year voting, played a total of 99 NBA games last season and threw down on LeBron James in an Eastern Conference finals playoff game.
For all of the accolades Tatum has garnered, though, the Duke product admitted he still pinches himself over his NBA success.
“I still think it’s mind-blowing when famous people know who I am,” Tatum said.
There’s no deny that Tatum now is one of those “famous people” — even if he’s still essentially a momma’s boy.
