Jayson Tatum Was Raised by His Mom & Relationship with Dad Drove Him to Excel – More about His Parents

Jayson Tatum is a basketballer born to supportive parents in Missouri on March 3, 1998. He was raised by his mom, who became his biggest critic, and his dad, who helped him become one of the best.

While in elementary school, Jayson Tatum dreamt of being the best basketballer, but his classmates and even his teacher made him feel his dreams were not achievable.

Being a predominantly white private school, Jayson Tatum felt intimidated, but he did not give up on his dreams. After the kids laughed at him in class, he was crushed.

Jayson said in an interview that he cried when he went home. However, when he got home, his mother, Brandy Cole, asked him to remember the moment and not let anyone dictate his abilities.

By 2017, he joined the Boston Celtics after being their first pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. On entering the team, he immediately began making his mark, and in 2022, he was named NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player.

Jayson’s mother was single when he was growing up, as his parents were no longer together. While he was still in school, she worked multiple jobs and was also a student.

Brandy had gotten pregnant shortly after graduating high school and had her son at 18. However, she valued her education and did not allow her circumstances to stop her from attending school.

After she had her son, she was further motivated to be a university graduate and now has three degrees in communications, political science, and law.

At ten, Jayson was already playing a good game of basketball and would not be deterred from this career path, thanks to his supportive mom, who made him feel he could achieve anything he wanted.

After a teacher asked him to change his dreams in first grade, his mother was furious. Brandy, who knew her son had worked hard and was proud of wanting to become a basketball player, went to his school and warned the teacher.

Brandy was not about to let a teacher ruin his chances of doing what he wanted to do, so she said:

“Don’t you ever tell my child they can’t do something, don’t embarrass them, don’t shoot down his ideas… don’t tell him that when I’m at home telling him he could be the president if he wanted to be.”

Despite being good at basketball, Brandy wanted Jayson to complete his education, would not accept excuses from him, and did not let him take things for granted. She was also the kind of mother who never kept secrets from her son as she prepared him to handle fame.

Jayson Tatum’s dad, Justin, and his mom were only teenagers when they had him. Justin played basketball while he was in high school and also in college. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and became a basketball coach.

The father and son had a strained relationship while Jayson was in high school. His father constantly challenged and pushed him without celebrating his milestones, which made the young basketballer work harder.

However, Jayson’s relationship with his dad grew stronger as he grew up. As a child, he always wanted to make his father proud, and his father acknowledged his hard work in June 2022.

Justin made an appreciation post on Instagram and wrote that he was proud of his son. He wrote:

“These past 2 months you gave me the best Fathers Day gift a dad can ask for. Seeing you competing at the highest level and making history. Has been a dream come true […] Love you son I’m soooo proud of you!”

Jayson’s mother is his harshest critic, as she always sends him text messages whenever he has an off night while playing. Brandy would tell him to be aggressive, or she would turn off the TV.

However, she never hesitates to show how proud she is of her son, and her Twitter bio proves it too. In April 2021, she tweeted his Celtics history statistics, and he replied that his mother’s pride was all that mattered.

Jayson also loves Brandy more than anyone else and made sure to let her know in an Instagram post in May 2022 when he celebrated Mother’s day.