Tatum is making the move from the United States to Australia to join the NBL.
Not Jayson Tatum, but Justin Tatum.
The father of the Celtics' four-time All-Star, Justin Tatum will join the coaching staff of Jacob Jackomas for the 2023-24 season, the Illawarra Hawks announced. The Hawks have hired Tatum in a "player development and assistant coaching capacity."
"The addition of Justin Tatum, a coach with significant experience in the skill development and pathway space, is the perfect addition to the existing staff and rounding out our support for our young and developing group," Hawks general manager Mat Campbell said of the hire.
Who is Justin Tatum and what does he bring to the Hawks? Let's take a closer look.
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Who is Justin Tatum?
Justin Tatum is the father of Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
Justin played basketball at Christian Brothers College High School with former NBA player Larry Hughes, who is the godfather of Jayson Tatum. Justin went to play college basketball at Saint Louis University. In 85 games (28 starts), he averaged 8.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.
Justin earned a Conference USA First Team All Defense selection during his time at Saint Louis.
Justin played professionally in the Netherlands after graduating from college with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. (Justin stopped playing basketball to spend more time with his son. Jayson was around seven years old when Justin first went overseas.) He then made the jump to coaching, starting as an assistant at Christian Brothers College before later becoming the school's head coach.
In his announcement that he was joining the Hawks, Justin listed some of his accomplishments during his time as head coach.
"My 16 years, as a MO state high school basketball coach saw my teams flourish," wrote Justin.
In a 2022 profile about Jayson Tatum's relationship with Larry Hughes, Andscape's Marc J. Spears wrote that Justin is "one of the most successful prep coaches in Missouri history."
