‘I was more worried about being drafted than I was about being a dad’: Jayson Tatum lifts the lid on keeping his girlfriend’s pregnancy a secret from the NBA in 2017 – and how he was ‘terrified’ teams wouldn’t pick him

Jayson Tatum has revealed how he hid his girlfriend’s pregnancy just barely before the start of his NBA career with the Boston Celtics.

Tatum played one hugely successful season at Duke before declaring for the NBA draft, and the 19-year-old was (correctly) projected as one of its top picks.

But the now three-time All Star learned just before the end of the schoolyear at Duke that his then-girlfriend Toriah Lachell was pregnant, a fact which sent shockwaves through his life and in his mind, threatened his draft status.

‘I got sick to my stomach, because this was a week or two before school was ending, so in my mind I’m like I’m about to leave Duke, get ready for my the Draft, live my life — have a blast. And then it’s like, ‘No, you ’bout to have a kid,” Tatum said on ‘In Depth with Graham Bensinger.’

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Jayson Tatum had an impressive rookie season and is now one of the NBA’s best players

 ‘I was selfish at first, honestly. 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…’

 ‘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.’

Tatum’s incoming child – named Jayson Tatum Jr. but also known now as ‘Deuce’ – did not affect the forward’s draft stock as he was selected third overall by Boston.

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Tatum had his son Jayson Tatum Jr. when he was 19 with his former girlfriend Toriah Lachell

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Deuce Tatum has been a constant fixture at his father’s games and practices for the Celtics

And a rookie Tatum was pleased to find a head coach in Brad Stevens who was supportive, as the Duke product told him early in the season about the milestone.

Tatum also received support from his mother, Brandy Cole, who had him at 19 years of age.

‘At that moment I remember how terrified I was, when I had to go through that, and how I felt like I was gonna disappoint my mom,’ she recounted of her son telling her he was expecting a child.

‘And so I just told him, listen, for most people it’s the money, right, like you can’t afford to have a kid. And I was like you clearly don’t have that problem, and I got your back in everything you do, so we’ll figure it out.’

Tatum told Graham Bensinger that his son ‘motivates’ him to ‘be the best father’ he can be

Since Tatum entered the league, he’s improved his points per game average every season and last year led the Celtics to a Finals appearance.

It seems Deuce – a constant presence at games, practices and even press conferences – has only aided his father’s success.

‘He made me grow up faster and mature. Because with all this newfound fame and success and money at 19, that’s a lot to handle,’ Tatum said.

‘But I wouldn’t change it for the world, it motivates me, seeing him come to all the games, practice, watch me work out. He motivates me to be the best player, the best father, the best role model that I can be.’