Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum talks Achilles injury and emotional impact
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum shares all the emotions he went through in the moments after he tore his Achilles tendon in the NBA playoffs.
It’s time to talk about the upcoming NBA season. Literally.
Training camps are beginning, preseason games will start soon and the first NBA regular-season games are already less than a month away. So on Monday, Sept. 29, much of the league is scheduled to reconvene for NBA media day, where many of its stars are expected to speak with reporters, and unanswered offseason questions will be asked (and maybe answered).
There are 25 teams going through this exercise on Monday before starting their training camp for the 2025-26 season. The five others (the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns) previously held their media days and began practices due to international travel for preseason games. The Atlanta Hawks are the first franchise slated to get the speaking tour going on Monday, with other teams spread out over the ensuing six hours.
Among the notable NBA players who should speak in front of the cameras: Nikola Jokic, Steph Curry, LeBron James, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Victor Wembanyama, Donovan Mitchell and more.
USA TODAY Sports will be keeping tabs on everything that’s said throughout the NBA on media day with live updates from around the country: Follow along here throughout Monday for the latest news:
Stuck in Greece because he contracted COVID-19, Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke to reporters virtually and maintained that he wants to compete for championships but did not give any assurances that he’s committed to the Milwaukee Bucks beyond the present.
“I want to be on a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship,” he said Monday. “It is never going to change. I want to be among the best.”
Earlier Monday, Bucks owner Wes Edens said he and Antetokounmpo met in June, and that Antetokounmpo reaffirmed his commitment to Milwaukee. When it was his turn to speak, Antetokounmpo said he could not recall that conversation.
“It’s a disservice to basketball and just to the game, to not want it to compete in a high level, to want your season to end in April,” Antetokounmpo added. “It’s pretty much the same. It’s not the first time. I had the same thoughts last year. I had the same thoughts two years ago.”
Nikola Jokic had a reply ready about his future in Denver.
The three-time NBA MVP met with reporters on Monday for the first time since reportedly informing Nuggets officials he would wait to hold contract extension discussions with the team until 2026 after becoming eligible to sign a three-year, $212 million extension starting in July.
But the delay isn’t a sign that Jokic’s loyalty to Denver is wavering, despite speculation this offseason after significant front office, coaching and roster changes made by the Nuggets in the wake of last season’s playoff exit in the Western Conference semifinals. Jokic made that clear to reporters when asked about the situation during the team’s media day ahead of the start to training camp.
“My plan is to be with Nuggets forever,” Jokic said.
Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, spoke highly about James Harden and his role with the team during the offseason.
“James demonstrated incredible, incredible leadership,” Frank said Monday. “I think that the best leaders — they unite, align, inspire with their actions.”
Harden played a key role in the team’s success last season, averaging 22.8 points, 8.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds in 79 games played. He is back for his 17th year in the NBA and his third with the Clippers.
It sounds like the Houston Rockets can expect to see a lot more of Kevin Durant.
The 37-year-old 15-time All-Star and prized trade acquisition of the offseason is entering the final season of his contract. Durant told reporters at Houston’s media day session Monday that he thinks his stay will be longer.
“I do see myself signing a contract extension,” Durant said. “I can’t tell you exactly when that will happen, but I do see it happening. Just seeing the quick progression of this franchise, from where it was right after that James Harden-Chris Paul era, seeing when (coach) Ime (Udoka) got here and how he turned it around so fast.
“And I have some connections here within the organization, people I work with around the league already, so it felt organic and natural coming into the gym and being a Houston Rocket for the first time.”
The Rockets shipped Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and an array of draft capital to the Phoenix Suns in June to acquire Durant, instantly making the Rockets a potential title contender in a crowded Western Conference.
Anthony Davis will have a new look out on the court with the Dallas Mavericks this season, and however many more seasons he plays in the NBA.
Davis had surgery to repair a detached retina in his right eye this offseason and doctors told him to wear protective eyewear moving forward, he revealed to reporters on Monday. The 6-foot-10 star, who was traded to Dallas last February as part of the blockbuster Luka Doncic deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, was still showing the physical effects of the procedure with swelling and redness around his right eye when he appeared at Mavericks media day on Monday.
Davis said, however, that he will not be limited in training camp and his vision is no longer impaired. He played in just nine regular-season games for Dallas due to an adductor injury he aggravated in his Mavericks debut.
“Nothing has changed for me. The goal is still to bring a championship here,” Davis said. “… I’m happy to be here. I’m excited to be here. I want to win here.”
Don’t expect to see Damian Lillard on the court this season.
The Trail Blazers guard who tore his Achilles tendon in the playoffs as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, Lillard expressed caution when addressing his comeback and a potential return to action.
“I don’t plan on (playing this season),” Lillard told reporters Monday. “I feel like if this team is a one-seed, they probably got it. I’m trying to be as healthy as possible.”
Lillard said he and fellow guard Scoot Henderson, who tore his left hamstring last week, will use their time rehabbing to acquaint themselves with each other.
Lillard added that trainers recommended prudence during recovery from the Achilles rupture.
“ ‘Don’t try to be the guy who does it in record time,’ ” Lillard said when asked the advice he received from trainers. “ ‘There’s a lot you have to work through. It usually takes a little bit longer.’ ”
Tyler Herro showed up to Miami Heat media day with a cast on his foot, a scooter to get around, and a potential timeline for his 2025-26 season debut.
The 25-year-old guard underwent surgery earlier this month to alleviate an issue affecting his left ankle and foot called posterior impingement syndrome, Heat officials previously announced. The team did not give an expected return date at the time, but Herro has one in mind.
“I’ll be back in the next 8 to about 12 weeks and it should be a full recovery and I’ll be better soon,” Herro told reporters on Monday.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Herro’s return would be “sooner than later,” and noted projections for a return in mid- to late November sound “right.” Herro is Miami’s leading scorer and had his best NBA season last year, averaging a career-best 23.9 points while playing more games (77) than he had previously. He becomes eligible for another lucrative contract extension from the Heat next month. Herro’s current contract runs through the 2026-2027 season.
Jason Kidd is trying to make sure the Dallas Mavericks control the narrative surrounding Kyrie Irving’s potential return from injury.
Irving suffered a torn ACL last March and is expected to miss the beginning of this season. The Mavericks coach made it a point to emphasize nobody get ahead of themselves when he met with reporters on Monday. Kidd emphasized Irving is “doing quite well … but he’s not ahead of schedule.” He deemed a recent social media report suggesting that was the case to be “bad reporting.”
Irving, for the record, began his media day news conference by announcing, in reference to Kidd’s comments, “I’m right on schedule.” He admitted, however, there is no set timetable at this point for when he could make his 2025-26 season debut with the Mavericks.
“The best advice I got is take your time, no timeline is gonna be perfect,” Irving told reporters in Dallas. “Don’t compare it to anyone else, and just enjoy the process.”
There had been some noise about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Milwaukee Bucks being in doubt.
Antetokounmpo, 30, led Milwaukee to a title in 2021 but has maintained that he wants to keep competing for more championships. With the Bucks undergoing some roster turnover — including the offseason waiving and stretching of former point guard Damian Lillard — rumors swirled that Antetokounmpo could potentially ask out of Milwaukee.
Team owner Wes Edens dispelled that notion.
“I had a great conversation with Giannis back in June out here, where he was very committed to Milwaukee,” Edens told reporters Monday. “He likes being here. He likes his family being here.”
Antetokounmpo is expected to address reporters shortly.
Jayson Tatum went viral.
The day before the Celtics held their media day, a video posted on social media showed Tatum, the star Boston forward who ruptured his Achilles nearly five months ago, back on the court, putting up shots and moving around the floor — seemingly — with no limitations.
It sparked enthusiasm that a return to action might be possible later this season for Tatum, who told USA TODAY Sports last week that he has not fully ruled out that possibility.
Despite that, Tatum stressed that he’s going through his rehab on his own terms.
“No pressure, I’ve stated that,” Tatum told reporters Monday, when asked if he felt any urgency from the team to return this season. “There’s no pressure to return back any sooner than when I’m 100% healthy. No pressure from (general manager) Brad (Stevens), (coach) Joe (Mazzulla), the team, the organization. The most important thing is that I’m 100% recovered and healthy whenever I do come back.”
There’s excitement about what Year 3 of the Victor Wembanyama era could hold in San Antonio, but it’s been tempered a bit by the uncertainty surrounding Dylan Harper, the team’s No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, beginning his first full season as Gregg Popovich’s replacement, had a definitive update on Wembanyama Monday and a not-so-clear one regarding his newest rookie guard.
Johnson told reporters in San Antonio that Wembanyama has been fully cleared by the team’s medical staff and the NBA after missing the final two months last season with deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder. But there remains no timetable on Harper’s return from thumb surgery earlier this month.
“Dylan is doing well. He’s on the court,” Johnson said, noting “we’ll see” when asked if Harper could still play in preseason action. “It’s a pretty straightforward ramp up to get that thing to a point where it can have contact and be ready to be in a game.”
Johnson noted Wembanyama has “been ramping up, he’s in a really good place. … He’s ready to get back on the court, and it’s been, obviously, some time and he was in angst for a long time to come back.” De’Aaron Fox, meanwhile, will be on the court at practice when training camp begins, but the team is being cautious with a lingering hamstring issue.
UPDATE (1:30 p.m. ET): Fox told reporters on Monday he does not expect to be ready for the team’s season opener due to his hamstring injury.
Wembanyama and Fox played only five games together last season after the Spurs acquired Fox from the Sacramento Kings around the trade deadline before Wembanyama was sidelined. Harper’s injury occurred in a preseason workout.
Injured Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was the first player to speak at media day for the defending Eastern Conference champions, even though he’s unlikely to play in an NBA game this season. Haliburton indicated to reporters Monday that his rehab is going well and on track with where it should be after he suffered a torn Achilles in the NBA Finals.
“This summer has been, I don’t want to say awful because I’m in a good position in life, but it’s just been a drag trying to keep the mental in the right place,” Haliburton admitted, according to the Indianapolis Star.
The Pacers said in July, after Haliburton underwent successful surgery, they expected him to miss the entire 2025-26 season. Coach Rick Carlisle noted Monday “there will be some adjustments,” to the team’s playing style with Haliburton out of the lineup for an extended period. “Ty is such an unusually important player to us,” Carlisle added. “But we want to keep our core principles. We’ve got to be excited about the opportunity some guys have. It will be a lot of work, but it will be great.”
Haliburton will travel some with the team and wants to stay as involved as possible. He is preparing as if he won’t play this season.
“I think whenever you don’t get to play, you get a new perspective on things,” Haliburton told reporters. “I think there’s always time to learn and grow, and I think that for me this year, not being able to play, I’m going to see the game in a different way, potentially see it more from a coaching perspective where I don’t always see eye-to-eye with our coaching staff and what they’re seeing. I look forward to being able to digest the game without playing for a full year. I think that’s going to be different for me, but I think being able to still be in the locker room with the guys and hear what they’re seeing, but also to be sitting there with the coaches on the bench, hear what they’re seeing, try to be the bridge between that.”
While NBA fans may be eagerly awaiting the unique look that Jimmy Butler may show up with at Golden State’s media day, Warriors fans may have angst over a player who reportedly won’t be there.
Per ESPN, restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga did not travel to San Francisco and will not participate in the team’s media day session, as his contract situation remains in a stalemate.
Kuminga, 22, remains unsigned after what appeared to be a frustrating offseason for the offensive-minded wing. As a restricted free agent, the Warriors had the chance to match any offer sheet that another team may have offered Kuminga. But with very little salary cap space available, the interest for Kuminga never materialized.
According to ESPN, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. connected with Aaron Turner, Kuminga’s agent, but no progress toward a deal was made.
The Warriors have extended a pair of offers to Kuminga — one for two years and $45 million and another for three years and $75.2 million — though both include team options, something Kuminga prefers to avoid, according to ESPN.
Kuminga has until 11:59 p.m., Wednesday, October 1 to sign the one-year, $8 million qualifying offer.
NBA media day schedule for Monday
Here’s a look at when media day is scheduled to start for the 25 NBA teams about to begin training camp for the 2025-26 season (All times Eastern):
- 9 a.m. — Atlanta Hawks
- 9:30 a.m. — Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors
- 10 a.m. — Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz
- 10:30 a.m. — Denver Nuggets
- 11 a.m. — Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards
- 12 p.m. — Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers
- 2 p.m. — Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings
- 3 p.m. — Los Angeles Clippers
When does the NBA preseason begin?
The NBA preseason starts on Thursday, Oct. 2 with an international matchup between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET and will air on NBA TV and NBA League Pass.
The preseason will end on Friday, Oct. 17 with eight games scheduled.
When does the NBA regular season start?
The NBA regular season begins Tuesday, Oct. 21 with a doubleheader.
The season will start with the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder hanging their banner before hosting a matchup against the Houston Rockets. That game is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET.
That game will be followed by a classic Steph Curry vs. LeBron James matchup as the Los Angeles Lakers host the Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena.
