Tatum to assist Duke as hands-on player mentor

Duke is getting assistance from erstwhile Blue Devils subordinate and Boston Celtics prima Jayson Tatum.

The schoolhouse announced Tuesday that the six-time NBA All-Star would service successful a unpaid advisory relation for the programme arsenic "chief hoops officer." Tatum is presently recovering from a ruptured close Achilles tendon suffered successful May during the NBA playoffs.

In its release, the schoolhouse said Tatum's tasks volition see in-person visits with the squad to sermon development, professionalism and squad culture, arsenic good arsenic mentoring athletes successful areas specified arsenic vocation management, gathering a idiosyncratic marque oregon managing clip demands arsenic a assemblage athlete.

Tatum volition besides cheque successful with periodic virtual squad meetings oregon sermon roster operation with manager Jon Scheyer astatine a programme that regularly produces high-level NBA talent, including 2025's No. 1 draught prime and Associated Press nationalist assemblage subordinate of the twelvemonth Cooper Flagg.

Tatum attended Duke's "Countdown to Craziness" preseason lawsuit Friday successful a ceremonial kickoff to the season, with Scheyer telling fans that Tatum would assistance the programme successful the months ahead.

"This programme has ever been astir pushing the crippled forward," Scheyer said successful Tuesday's statement. "Jayson has been incredibly loyal to Duke since the time helium committed, and this improvement represents the adjacent measurement successful however we link The Brotherhood to the aboriginal of our players. Jayson is the eventual professional.

"His quality to inspire, motivate, and usher our student-athletes is unmatched, and I could not beryllium much excited to spot the interaction helium volition person connected our squad and our culture."

Tatum was a one-and-done prima for the Blue Devils during the 2016-17 play earlier moving connected to go the No. 3 draught pick. Tatum blossomed into 1 of the NBA's apical players and helped Boston triumph the 2024 championship.

"This programme means truthful overmuch to me, and I had an unbelievable clip here," Tatum said successful a statement. "I already ticker each game, travel backmost whenever I can, and link with Coach Scheyer often. To person the accidental to formalize my narration with the programme and broaden my quality to interaction the players and civilization means the satellite to me.

"As erstwhile players, we each stock the work of supporting the adjacent procreation of Duke Basketball."