Jayson Tatum

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum says he was "terrified" and struggled to accept the news that he and then-girlfriend Toriah Lachell would welcome a child in 2017.

In an interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Tatum said Lachell told him of the pregnancy when the 2016-17 school year was nearing its end. Having finished his freshman season with Duke, he was focusing on the NBA draft.

"I was selfish at first, honestly," he said (h/t the New York Post's Ryan Glasspiegel). "I was more worried about getting drafted than I was about being a dad, because my whole life I had dreamed about going to the NBA and the best day of my life was two months away. I didn’t tell anybody—I didn't tell my teammates, the coaches, anything."

The three-time All-Star wanted to keep the news private lest it adversely affect his draft stock.

"I didn't want it to impact where I got drafted," he said. "I thought that if teams knew I was about to have a kid, they were gonna think I wasn't focused and that they wouldn't pick me, so I was terrified. I didn't want anybody to know, which was extremely selfish."

Tatum, whom the Celtics selected third overall, eventually told head coach Brad Stevens since he might need time off from the team to be with Lachell. He described Stevens as "real supportive."

Jayson Tatum Jr. was born in December 2017, and Tatum announced his birth in January 2018. Nicknamed "Deuce," his son has become a fixture at Celtics games and makes occasional appearances at press conferences.

Tatum told the Boston Globe's Nicole Yang he's focused on his career and improving as a player, but from the outset he "was going to be the best father I could." The 24-year-old also said he hopes to be an example for others.

"I think it's the coolest part for me," he said. "If I am a role model for young fathers around the world, that's great. I think we need more role models like that—just to have more male fathers be present and show that you can do both."

The Boston Celtics have started this year strong after wins against the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat.

Following Boston's 111-104 road win over Miami on Friday, Celtics star Jayson Tatum spoke with reporters about how he felt after his team fell to the Golden State Warriors in last season's NBA Finals.

The Celtics held a 2-1 series lead over the Warriors, who then proceeded to roll off three straight wins by an average of 11 points per game to close out the competition. Boston struggled offensively and averaged 93.7 points in its last three games.

Tatum shot just 36.7 percent for the series. He still averaged 21.5 points and led the C's with 7.0 assists per game, but the All-NBA First Teamer had a rough Finals overall.

Boston has started this year looking like a clear championship contender hungry for a title, though, thanks largely to Tatum, who has averaged 32 points over the first two games. Jaylen Brown is right behind him at 31.5 PPG.

On Friday, Tatum impressed on both ends (particularly in the second half) against Boston's Eastern Conference Finals opponent last year.

Tatum's looking like a potential MVP candidate thus far, and the Celtics have the makings of an NBA powerhouse. They'll look to continue the good vibes Saturday evening at the Orlando Magic.

James Harden was listening.

There were questions after his 2021-22 season about whether he had lost a step or whether his prime years were a thing of the past after he didn't appear to be his vintage self following his trade to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Harden sure looked like his old self on Tuesday night, putting up 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a season-opening 126-117 loss to the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.

Philly fans won't be thrilled with the loss to a hated rival. Nonetheless, seeing Harden play at an extremely high level was a good sign.

And the NBA community noticed:

Heck, even Harden's misses caused a ripple online:

The Sixers will have plenty to work out after Tuesday's tough loss. The defense was poor—which is a nice way of putting it—and allowed Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (35 points each) to basically score at will.

Joel Embiid had solid counting stats (26 points, 15 rebounds, five assists) but was loose with the ball, turning it over six times, and didn't look particularly effective as a defender.

In the grand scheme of things, Tuesday's loss was one game of 82. The defense should stabilize somewhat as a slew of new players added in the offseason, like P.J. Tucker, Danuel House, De'Anthony Melton and Montrezl Harrell, learn to play together.

Doc Rivers will get a better handle on the rotations. You wouldn't bet on Embiid having a net rating of minus-13 like he had on Tuesday very often.

The bigger story, then, was Harden's performance. He looked like the player we saw with the Houston Rockets and briefly with the Brooklyn Nets when he first arrived. And if the Sixers get that version of Harden going forward, they will be a force to be reckoned with this season.