Jayson Tatum has faced hostile playoff crowds, NBA Finals pressure and Olympic expectations. But on Tuesday night, in front of a room full of kids clutching basketballs and brand-new books, the Celtics star opened up about a battle few fans had seen.

Speaking at a sold-out event at Newton Community Stage, Tatum admitted he "cried many nights" while recovering from the torn Achilles that sidelined him for nearly 10 months.

"Playing basketball seemed so unattainable and so far away," Tatum said. "I had been playing basketball since I was 3 or 4 years old, so suddenly I had that taken away from me."

The appearance celebrated the release of Tatum's second children's book, Baby Dunks-a-Lot: The Day the Basketballs Stopped Bouncing, but the conversation with sports journalist Howard Bryant quickly turned to basketball — and one of the toughest stretches of Tatum's career.

Tatum suffered the injury during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks on May 12, 2025, and returned March 6, becoming one of the fastest NBA players in recent history to come back from a torn Achilles.

Tuesday also marked Tatum's first public comments since the Celtics traded longtime teammate Jaylen Brown to the 76ers on July 1.

"You just kind of feel like you're going to be on the team with somebody, because that's all you know," Tatum said. "And then it's just like, one day, you find out that they are no longer on your team anymore."

He said the trade doesn't change what the pair accomplished together, including an NBA championship in 2024 and two Finals appearances.

The event drew hundreds of young Celtics fans, many wearing No. 0 jerseys and waiting in line for signed copies of the book. Every ticket included an autographed edition.

Not every young fan was captivated by the conversation. Watertown first graders Aidan Sianissian and Liam Shea jokingly called the discussion "pretty boring" because Tatum never read from the book, though both left smiling with signed copies in hand.

Tatum also shared a few off-the-court favorites, telling the audience that Diary of a Wimpy Kid was his favorite series growing up and that reading with his two children inspired him to write books of his own.