Jayson Tatum put on a pair of gloves and went to work with his Boston Celtics head coach, Joe Mazzulla, in the gym. However, he took some metaphorical punches from fans online, who had plenty to say about his fighting stance.
Tatum is among the world’s elite in his profession as a basketball player, but he clearly isn’t as natural with gloves on, as the video of his training with Mazzulla showed.
The grind doesn't stop in the summer 🥊
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 16, 2026
Watch JT & Joe get after it in Celtics All-Access: https://t.co/j8jpoXreFm pic.twitter.com/IwgOIV83dw
After seeing Tatum’s form when throwing punches, fans couldn’t help but make fun of the former Duke Blue Devils star, with some also assuming that he’s never been in a fight.
It looks like JT has never been in a fight before. pic.twitter.com/ysunGHpNVq
— Gregory LeClerc (@gregoryleclerc) August 16, 2026
Tatum needs to not get in a fight ever 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
— TheMan (@user1837577) August 16, 2026
LMFAOO nah JT never had a fight a day in his life he look like my cat when he start swinging 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
— E (@Emoneeeeyy) August 16, 2026
Those are some horrible hands lol
— Smitty (@Smittyzola) August 16, 2026
Neither can throw proper punches. Embarrassing.
— Lucha Dad (@Lucha1Dad) August 16, 2026
At the end of the day, what matters most for the Celtics is how effective Tatum can be on the court, especially now that Boston has moved on from Jaylen Brown, who was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason.
Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon injury in the 2025 NBA Playoffs and missed the first several months of the 2025-26 season before returning to action in March. In 16 games last season, he put up 21.8 points, while averaging 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
Sure, Tatum’s boxing form needs work, but he’s clearly shown that he’s a true fighter after overcoming his devastating injury.
