NBA
Jayson Tatum’s Mother Is in Charge of the Finances and Won’t Let Him Spend His Boston Celtics Money
Mike Thomas spent 23 years on staff and 16 years as the sports editor at The Herald News in Fall River, Mass., before joining Sportscasting in 2020. Mike has a deep knowledge of and passion for the NFL and NBA, and he excels at interviewing sports celebrities to find out their Super Bowl picks. A New England Newspaper and Press Association award-winning columnist and an avid sports memorabilia collector, Mike enjoys keeping up with all the sports news and the works of former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly. You can find more of Mike's work on Muck Rack.
Get to know Mike Thomas betterPublished29 Oct 2022
Imagine making an average of $32.6 million per year and not being able to spend it? That’s the case with Jayson Tatum, but don’t feel too sorry for the Boston Celtics star.
Tatum does pretty well financially, but he leans on his “overseer” — his mother. Mom handles all of Tatum’s finances. Before he got drafted, Tatum and his mother made a deal. Now, he can’t spend any of his Celtics money.
Jayson Tatum is becoming one of the NBA’s best
It’s hard to believe Tatum is still only 24 years old. He’s in his sixth NBA season and has gotten better each year. A three-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA the last two seasons, Tatum has etched himself as a top-10 player in the league.
After reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in his career and coming up short, his motivation is at an all-time high. Tatum is determined to return to the championship round and help the Celtics secure Banner No. 18.
When the season began, Tatum admitted it felt good to get back on the court. The sting of the Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors stuck with him throughout the summer. He needed to get back to work.
“It feels good,” he told Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston. “I’m just happy to be back playing basketball after the summer. After losing in the Finals, all I could think about was just get ready to play again and start a new chapter.
“Said it a million times that it was a long, miserable summer, so I just wanted to get back out here and compete. I just want to win — don’t care about how many points I score. I just want to get back to that point.”
Through five games, Tatum is averaging 32.4 points and 8.0 rebounds.
Tatum said his mother won’t let him spend his Celtics money
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Tatum is lucky to have his mother look out for his finances, and he knows it.
“My mom is like the overseer,” Tatum said during an interview with Graham Bensinger. “Everything goes through her. There’s nobody more trustworthy than my mom.”
His mother explained her role.
“It’s not efficient for seven different people trying to get in touch with Jayson, so that all goes through me,” said his mother, Brandy Cole. “I see him every day. He spends most of the time at my house.”
Tatum said he and his mother made a deal before he entered the pros.
“We had a deal that before I got drafted that I couldn’t spend the money I make from the Celtics,” he said. “We have to live off endorsements. Her and my accountant agreed. They didn’t know that I would make as much as I did off the court. So, In my mind, I gotta spend that money.”
Bensinger asked Tatum what the pros and cons are of having his mother as a business manager.
“The cons are sometimes when I go to take trips with my friends — it’s maybe once or twice a year — but we go out to LA, Vegas, or Miami,” he said. “She’ll call me in the morning, and she’ll be like, ‘Who is Mr. Jones? Why did you give him $12,000? I’m like, mom, we had a good time last night.”
“Jayson likes nice things,” Cole said. “He likes nice watches. Technically, I can’t say no, right? When he tells me the price, I’m like what does this watch do? He’s like, ‘but it’s not the Celtics money.’ That’s his little running joke.”
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