The NBA offseason isn't in its most captivating moment. Summer blockbusters have simmered down, new signings are squared away, and preseason several weeks away. As a result of this, social media tends to run wild with any basketball-related content it can get — for better or for worse. An example of the more negative outcome just struck the Boston Celtics.
Justin Tatum, father of Celtics star Jayson Tatum, was a guest on the first episode of the "Ultimate Dads Unplugged" podcast. The debut episode dropped Sunday and featured the elder Tatum discussing a wide array of topics with Dwyane Wade Sr. (father of Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade), LaVar Ball (father of Minnesota Timberwolves star LaMelo Ball), and Quenton Marselles Brown (father of former Celtics star Jaylen
Brown). One predictable talking point centered around who each thought will win the NBA championship, and while Ball and Brown were adamant that their sons would prevail, Tatum wasn't a strong advocate for the Celtics.
"Realistically, (expletive), I might say New York might run it back," Tatum said before sending the rest of the dads into an uproar.
After Ball pushed back on Tatum for not picking the Celtics, the father of Boston's franchise cornerstone tried to elaborate.
"Right now, roster, (expletive) — ," he said as he was cut off again by the podcast hosts.
This is where the downside of social media inserted itself into the situation. Tatum was soon quoted as saying the Celtics' roster "is (expletive)." However, listening to the clip will tell you that he never said "is." He wasn't describing the roster, his next words were simply interrupted.
Of course, most viewers — even a major outlet like Bleacher Report — didn't address the misquote. Error or not, they ran with the more entertaining angle that a family member tied to a Celtics star harshly dissed the team ahead of the 2026-27 regular season.
Yes, Tatum doesn't think the C's will win it all at the moment. But, that's very different from calling the roster, to put it nicely, garbage.
This misquote won't doom the Celtics, and it's not the end of the world in the grand scheme of things. Yet, it's indicative of a larger problem in sports media.
Fans, and sometimes pundits, are often so eager for the juiciest news that they overlook the truth in favor of gossip. Or, they don't put enough effort into discovering the reality of the situation, instead just relying on what's being fed to them or the prevailing narrative.
If people watched the full clip and listened closely, this wouldn't be much of story. The alarming thing is that this isn't the first time this has happened in the sporting world. And it's far from the last.
Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:
Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Reports of Jayson Tatum's father displeasure with Boston Celtics likely exaggerated
