Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Opens Up About His Recent Bout With COVID-19

Jayson Tatum was out 2 1/2 weeks due to COVID-19, but the Boston Celtics star returned to game action Monday night against the Chicago Bulls.

Tatum missed five games while battling the virus. He largely remained without symptoms, but his experience was anything but pleasant.

Tatum admittedly was scared when he first learned of his positive test. Several thoughts ran through his mind.

“It was kind of a shock,” Tatum told Celtics.com’s Amanda Pflugrad ahead of Monday’s game. “You know, you worry about who you were around and your family, stuff like that. But thankfully, it wasn’t too bad. I was fine for most of the time.”

Some that contract COVID-19 can experience lingering symptoms after recovering. Boston Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez, for example, wound up with myocarditis, which sidelined him for the duration of Major League Baseball’s abbreviated 2020 season.

Luckily, Tatum isn’t experiencing anything like that. But there’s still one concern on his mind.

“It’s a lot of unknowns,” he noted, “but I’ve been to the hospital and the doctor. Got everything checked to make sure I was clear to start back working out after not working out consistently. No more symptoms or anything like that, so the doctors cleared me to play.”

Here’s hoping Tatum remains healthy.