Jayson Tatum’s Father: Justin Tatum

Jayson Tatum’s father, Justin Tatum, is always concerned about his son’s success. The pro-NBA player is always grateful for his father, who has always supported his career.

Without his father’s support, Jayson may not have been able to achieve the same level of success and accomplishments that he has reached today.

Jayson Tatum is 2018’s Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He plays for the Bolton Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He truly excels at what he does.

And he is humble enough to credit his father for his efforts to train him at an early age.

This article will provide in-depth knowledge about Jayson Tatum’s father, Justin Tatum. So, let’s have a look at him in detail below.

Quick Facts

Early Life

Justin Tatum was a sportsman himself, which made it easy for Jayson to step up as a basketball player. Justin is an American former college basketball player and Gym teacher.

He was born on April 11, 1979.

Justin played high school basketball at St. Louis Christian College High School and won a state title with the team in 1997.

After graduating high school, he played at Saint Louis University and earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

During his college career, he was named the Conference USA First Team All-Defense player.

His basketball career eventually took him overseas to the Netherlands. Jayson was just a kid then, and the young boy did not see his Father much for some time.

The Celtics star was eight when his father Justin returned from Europe to Missouri because of injury.

What does Jaston Tatum Do For A Living?

Being a college basketball player, usually, one would try to enter the drafts to get selected by a major league basketball team or make it to the NBA.

But Justin Tatum was different. He did not want to pursue a career as a professional basketball player. Instead, he wanted to be a coach.

Since playing college basketball, he has shifted towards being a coach.

Honestly, his record as a basketball coach is more impressive than his college basketball stats.

In 2010 and 2011, Coach Tatum, with his team, was placed in 3rd position on the table.

But in 2012, he took home the state championship with the team he had been coaching at the time, Soldan Tigers.

Similarly, he was recognized for his talents as a coach in 2012 when he was awarded the Coach of the Year.

Similarly, in 2014 he took home the state championship with his then-team, Christian Brothers College (CBC) high school.

He has won three PHL (Public High League) Conferences with District Championships.

In 2014 and 2019, he won the Metro Catholic Conference (MCC) championship twice in total, with five district championships.

In an online interview, Jasyon reportedly said that his father was the first person to throw a ball in his hands. He also claimed that his father was there from the beginning of his basketball life.

Players He Has Coached

Over almost 15 years, he has trained many amateur players and turned them into professionals.

Reportedly, 14 of his students have turned out to be Division I players in college, with nine in Division II and other proficiency levels.

How Much Does Jayson Tatum’s Father Earn?

While we do not have the exact information about his net worth, we can estimate his net worth through different available data.

Justin Tatum has been working as a coach since his graduation from college. The average annual salary for a basketball coach in the United States is around $42,000.

Considering the inflation since his college days, let us assume his salary was $30,000 annually.

Justin Tatum’s Youth Camps

Coach Tatum has been leading and involving much of his time and effort in his youth camps. He has been doing so for the last 12 years.

The CBC administration allowed him to operate his youth camps in the CBC high school for six years.

The camps are a place for young kids from school to learn and grow their love for the sport.

Coaches from different areas also provide instructions, knowledge, and insights on improving gameplay.

The camps allow the school students to make new friends too.

Justin Tatum And Jayson’s Relationship

Early Days

Justin started teaching Jayson basketball as early as possible.

“He started teaching me basketball as early as I can remember,” said Jayson. “That is one of the main reasons I am the basketball player and the man I grew into.”

He said that his father taught him to be honest and patient.

High School days

Justin Tatum used to be harder on Jayson than other kids at the practice sessions because he wanted his son to be disciplined on and off the court.

“My Dad coached at Soldan for six years, so when I was in the fourth grade until ninth or tenth grade, so I used to practice with him four to five times a week,” told Jayson to the interviewer.

“And he would treat me like I was in high school, so if I messed up… he was harder on me than he was on other kids, and like I used to cry every day on the way home,” said Jayson.

Jayson hated playing basketball that way and felt like quitting almost every day because of his father’s treatment.

Little did he know that those same practice sessions would be the foundation for his basketball career.

“He saw my potential before I saw it in myself,” stated Jayson.

Jayson’s father usually set him up to play with players from two or three grades higher than him. He played with his level teammates only during his last high school year.

The Results

Despite all the hardships and hatred mustered up while training, it all worked out perfectly, and now Jayson is happy about it.

When school was off, Jayson would go to Soldan to be with his father and watch the matches the entire day.

On the way home from Soldan, he and his dad would talk about what happened during the match and discuss the essential takeaways of the events that occurred during the games that day.

Justin Tatum was young when he had Jayson, but he was not a foolish father. On the contrary, despite his age, he did a great job raising Jayson.

Recently, Jayson was entitled to be the youngest player in the history of the NBA to score 5000 career points at 23 and 32 days old.

Of course, Justin was the proudest dad in the whole world at the moment. He even tweeted out, congratulating Jayson on reaching this admirable milestone.

How Did Justin Meet Brandy Cole?

According to a report by the Boston Globe, Justin Tatum first crossed paths with Brandy Cole, the mother of the NBA star Jayson Tatum, when they were both just 16 years old.

It was at a mall where Brandy was working at a candy store that Justin caught her eye, and the two soon began dating.

Despite the challenges that came their way, their love endured, and they eventually started a family together.