The night before putting 30 points on the board and helping lead the Boston Celtics to a 128-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Jayson Tatum was watching Game 4 between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets. He saw Donte DiVincenzo suffer the same devastating injury the star forward experienced last postseason.
It happened less than two minutes into the game. The former Villanova star had just launched an attempt from behind the arc. In an effort to race to the long rebound in the near-side corner, he rocked back and went to sprint after the ball. Unfortunately, he found himself on all fours before softly dropping to the floor. The eighth-year guard knew it immediately. He clapped his hands and waved for his team's training staff to come out to help him.
Sure enough, later that night, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that DiVincenzo had torn his Achilles.
"I never want anybody to go through that injury and what's to come in the rehab process," said Tatum after helping steer the Celtics to a 3-1 series lead over the Sixers. "I was definitely sick to my stomach yesterday, seeing him go down, because I know exactly how he's feeling. I know exactly what he has to go through, but you know now I'm gonna be a resource, reach out to him. He has me in his corner, whether he's gonna like it or not. So, I'll definitely reach out to him soon."
Timberwolves touched by Tatum's message
While Minnesota wasn't able to punch its ticket to the second round of the playoffs on Tuesday night, after his team's 125-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets, head coach Chris Finch expressed his appreciation for the Celtics star voicing his support to DiVincenzo.
Chris Finch when asked about his communication with Donte DiVincenzo following his injury cited Jayson Tatum's comments.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) April 28, 2026
"Jayson Tatum's comments I thought were super classy, kind and compassionate. Mean a lot. I know Donte has heard them. And he's been such a great example of… pic.twitter.com/ADjxoYBj6c
"Jayson Tatum's comments, I thought, were super classy, kind, and compassionate," said Finch, per Timberwolves reporter Dane Moore. "[They] mean a lot. I know Donte has heard them. And he's been such a great example of what's possible."
To Finch's point, Tatum is a north star for DiVincenzo. He continues to exemplify that one can return to the level they were at before tearing their Achilles and even surpass it.
The road back is arduous. The Celtics star forward has spoken candidly about the loneliness that comes with it at times. Others who have worked their way back from it have preached the importance of staying patient and finding hobbies to occupy one's mind.
Fortunately, like Tatum, DiVicenzo underwent surgery a day after suffering his injury. He, too, went to Dr. O'Malley for the procedure. Not only can he watch the former showcase what's possible on the other side of his recovery, but he'll have him in his corner on his journey there.