Two people with the same last name are moving up in different areas of the NBA. They are, of course, NBA deputy commission Mark Tatum and Boston Celtics power forward Jayson Tatum. Whenever Jayson Tatum plays, some social media users find a way to co-relate it with Mark Tatum. Some wonder or joke if Mark Tatum and Jayson Tatum are related. Some question if Adam Silver’s deputy is the athlete’s father too. So read on as we set the record straight on any relation between the two other than their last name and the NBA.
Mark Tatum and Jayson Tatum Are Not Related
Jayson Tatum was born on March 3, 1998, in Missouri to Brandy Cole and Justin Tatum. He has a brother Jaycob, and a sister Kayden.
The Celtics player is dad to a little boy, Jayson Jr., also known as Deuce Tatum, with his ex, Toriah Lachell.
His dad, Justin Tatum, was a former college basketball player and currently a coach. And his mom works as an attorney.
The forward’s connection to the NBA extends way beyond his own. Jayson Tatum’s godfather is the legendary Larry Hughes, who played at St. Louis University alongside his dad.
Tyronn Lue, the former NBA player who currently coaches the Clippers, is Tatum’s first cousin once removed. They grew up within two hours of Lue’s home in Mexico, Missouri, and always met at family barbecues.
While the Duke alum’s family connections are boast-worthy, they don’t include an NBA executive.
Some social media users have been speculating if Jayson Tatum is related to NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum. While others even dig for any evidence of the executive being the All-Star’s dad.
But the connection between Jayson Tatum and Mark Tatum ends at the NBA and the common last name. There’s no evidence of familial relations between them.
Mark Tatum was born in Vietnam to Kim and Charlie Tatum in 1969. He has Vietnamese and Jamaican ancestry. He grew up in New York and graduated from Cornell.
Tatum is married to Lisa Skeete Tatum. And the couple are parents to two boys, Tai and Kylan.
In 2014, Mark Tatum was appointed as NBA deputy commissioner. Moreover, Forbes even ranked him at No. 8 in the “Most Influential Minorities in Sports” list.
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There’s been no publicly known interaction between Jayson Tatum and Mark Tatum. But it hasn’t stopped some fans’ imaginations from going wild.
Furthermore, whenever the Celtics forward is having a bad game, social media users claim it’s because his “uncle” Mark Tatum is in the house.
