James Harden Had Classy Message for Jayson Tatum Ahead of Celtics Star’s Second Game Back

Even his fellow NBA players are proud of Jayson Tatum.

The star Celtics forward, who had been sidelined all season as he rehabbed from an Achilles tear, made his grand return to the court on Friday night, just 10 months after he blew out the tendon in the 2025 playoffs. It’s a truly remarkable comeback timeline, and one that defies conventional wisdom; although a shorter rehab is possible depending on the severity of the injury, many athletes who tear their Achilles are forced to sit out at least a full season.

Tatum, however, did things his own way. And clearly impressed everyone in the process.

Ahead of the Celtics’ game vs. the Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon, Cleveland’s James Harden approached Tatum with a classy message about the latter's long-awaited return.

“Proud of you, bro,” Harden said. “Congratulations.”

Take a peek at that below:

"Proud of you bro. Congratulations." ❤️

James Harden with a classy gesture to Jayson Tatum before the game on completing his comeback from his Achilles injury 🙌 pic.twitter.com/f8nj1VUNed
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 8, 2026

Great to see the support from inside the NBA community, and great to see Tatum back out on the hardwood again.

Tatum's return from injury is going swimmingly

In great news for Celtics fans but terrible news for the rest of the Eastern Conference, Tatum’s return has gone excellently so far. On Friday, in the Celtics’ win over the Mavericks, the Duke export had himself a double-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists over 27 minutes of play. You can’t really ask for a better 2026 debut than that.

Then, when Boston put Cleveland away 109–98 on Sunday, Tatum dropped twenty points, three rebounds and two assists in what was just his second game. He also hit a late dagger to seal Boston’s win.

“I can't stress it enough, I’m just happy to be out here,” a visibly geeked Tatum told SportsCenter after the dub. “Playing on the team, with the guys, coming in, making plays, making mistakes. Just happy to be out here.”

“The NBA is like a brotherhood,” he continued later, detailing a quick convo with Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell. “Guys is, even on opposite teams, happy to just see me back out here. So it was just mutual love, mutual respect. It had been a while since I competed against him.”

Seems like it was that way with Harden, too.

Boston was already doing well this season, as a supercharged Jaylen Brown held things down in Tatum's absence. But with No. 0 back in action, the team is an even bigger threat to the rest of the league, and could give the East’s No. 1 Pistons a run down the stretch. Welcome back, JT.

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