Duke has named former Blue Devils player and current Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum to the newly created volunteer position of chief basketball officer for the men’s program.
Tatum, 27, is expected to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming NBA season after rupturing his Achilles tendon in May during the Eastern Conference semifinals. Boston lost the series to the New York Knicks.
Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer announced Tuesday that Tatum, who played one season in Durham, N.C., in 2016-17 before going to the NBA, will be his special advisor and use his knowledge and experience to help prepare current players for success on and off the court.
“This program has always been about pushing the game forward,” said Scheyer, also a former Duke player. “Jayson has been incredibly loyal to Duke since the day he committed, and this evolution represents the next step in how we connect The Brotherhood to the future of our players. Jayson is the ultimate professional. His ability to inspire, motivate, and guide our student-athletes is unmatched, and I could not be more excited to see the impact he will have on our team and our culture.”
Tatum’s duties, as described in the announcement, include serving as a mentor to student-athletes; sharing insights on player development, professionalism and team culture; advising Scheyer on roster construction and development trends; and joining virtual sessions with the team and coaching staff throughout the season.
Tatum, a six-time NBA All-Star who has been named to the All-NBA first team the past four seasons, said that he was “ecstatic” to serve in the new role.
“This program means so much to me, and I had an unbelievable time here,” Tatum said. “I already watch every game, come back whenever I can, and connect with Coach Scheyer often. To have the chance to formalize my relationship with the program and broaden my ability to impact the players and culture means the world to me. As former players, we all share the responsibility of supporting the next generation of Duke Basketball.”
Tatum averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.1 blocks and 33.3 minutes in 29 games (27) starts in his lone season at Duke under legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Boston selected Tatum with the third overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft. Tatum, who helped the Celtics win the NBA championship in 2023-24, averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and a career-high 6.0 assists in 72 regular-season games (all starts) last season.