Jayson Tatum split a double team, took off and threw a one-handed hammer down right on LeBron James in the third quarter of Boston’s 123-101 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night. After the game, Tatum told reporters it was his first time dunking on anybody in about 19 months, as first reported by ClutchPoints.
“It just kind of felt good to finish through contact,” Tatum said, adding that getting his legs back under him was what felt best.
Tatum tore his right Achilles in the second round of the 2025 playoffs and missed most of the 2025-26 season before returning on March 6 against Dallas. He finished Tuesday with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Paul George led the way with 36 points against his former team, and Payton Pritchard added 18. Boston is now 9-2.
The IAHHM Take
Forget the two points. This was a health report. Achilles injuries are the ones that steal explosiveness, and the first thing fans watch for is whether a guy will still go up strong in traffic. Tatum didn’t just go up, he went up on the biggest name in the sport.
The history makes it even better. Tatum’s most famous poster came as a rookie, on LeBron, in Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals. Boston lost that night. Eight years later the roles flipped: LeBron is in a Sixers jersey, Jaylen Brown is his teammate now, and Tatum’s Celtics walked away with a 22-point win in the first meeting since Brown was traded.
The East has been chasing Boston for years. If Tatum is all the way back, that chase just got longer. So be honest: was that the dunk of the season so far, or is there a better one? For more early-season storylines, check out Coach Jimmy Butler working the Warriors bench.
Source: ClutchPoints
