Jayson Tatum ‘Now Understands’ Fear As Father Amid Derek Chauvin Verdict

Now that Jayson Tatum is a parent, he’s understanding more and more why his mother would worry about him so much growing up.

It’s typical of a parent, yes, but it takes on another layer when you’re the mother of someone who happens to be a 6-foot-8 Black man — whether he’s an All-Star forward on the Boston Celtics or not.

Now, as the father of a 3-year-old toddler, Tatum relates to the feelings of fear his mom had with him leaving the house. He discussed as much in the aftermath of the verdict that saw justice in the murder of George Floyd.

“This is all new to me, you know, just the parenting thing and when I had those talks,” Tatum said Wednesday following the team’s practice.

“Obviously I know I’m gonna have to have them one day, and now I understand how every time I left the house when I was in high school and things like that, just as a parent, my mom, all the things that I didn’t realize that she had to worry about. You know, just praying that I would make it home. And now that I have my own son I understand that feeling of just wanting him to be safe at all times. … So I’m sure that, as he gets older, and starts to understand the world or the world around him, he’ll start to ask more questions and we’ll have those types of talks. At three right now it’s kind of hard to gauge everything for him. So, a few years down the line, I’m sure.”

Those conversations are a little ways down the road for Tatum and his son, but for now, he’s just happy to have Deuce back at his games.