Jayson Tatum Wins Major Celtics’ Award Before 2025-26 Campaign

The Boston Celtics are just days away from kicking off the 2025-26 campaign. When they take the floor on Wednesday night, though, they will do so without superstar forward Jayson Tatum, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in the playoffs last year.

The offseason has been busy for Tatum, just not in the way he was envisioning it being. Instead of training for the new season, Tatum has been attacking his injury rehab with the goal of returning to court at some point in March or April.

While Tatum’s injury rehab is taking up a big chunk of his time, it isn’t all he did over the offseason. In fact, considering the circumstances, this might have been the busiest offseason of Tatum’s career.

One thing Tatum did frequently was find a way to give back to the local community. Ever since getting selected by Boston in the 2017 NBA Draft, Tatum has always made an effort to be generous with his time in an effort make an impact on his new home.

There’s no doubt that Tatum is most well-known for his play on the court, but on Friday night, he was recognized for his work off the court. At the team’s annual Shamrock Foundation Tip-Off Gala, Tatum was revealed to be the winner of the C’s Community Champion Award.

“Congratulations JT on winning this year’s Community Champion Award ????☘️,” the Celtics wrote in a post on X. “The award is given to a member of the team who is deeply committed to making a difference in and around Boston.”

While Tatum has made a career out of attempting to win championships, getting recognized for his work in the community is an equally important honor. What makes things even better for the Celtics is that several players would have been worthy recipients of this award.

As Tatum continues to put in the work behind the scenes to get himself ready to return to action, Boston is going to put the finishing touches on their preparations for the new season. The C’s 2025-26 campaign will kick off on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers.