Celtics star Tatum not ruling out playing this NBA season
LOS ANGELES, United States — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum says he hasn't ruled out a return to the NBA this season as he continues his recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
"I haven't said I'm not playing this season," Tatum said on NBC's Today show on Tuesday (Wednesday Manila time), telling interviewers that the timing of his return "is the million-dollar question."
Tatum was carried off the court in the fourth quarter of game four of the Celtics' Eastern Conference semi-finals loss to the New York Knicks and had surgery on May 13.
Rehabilitation from such an injury could typically span an entire season, and Tatum, a six-time NBA All-Star and a member of the USA's Olympic gold medal-winning teams at the Tokyo and Paris Games, said he wouldn't rush a return.
"I think for me and my team, the doctors, the organization, the most important thing is making a full recovery, being back 100%, not rushing it," he said.
"I have a goal in mind," he added. "What I will say is I'm not working out, rehabbing six days a week for no reason."
Tatum was among seven NBA players who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon last season, a spate of similar injuries that prompted the league to launch an investigation into possible causes.
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